That Faraway Dream
by PurelyBloom
Summary: For a long time, Mallory Tinker believed her Quirk to be a curse. She would rather live out a Qurikless life, and forget what had happened. It felt as though she was doomed to isolation, unable to confess her sin to anyone. Now, to repent for what she had done, and to change her ill fate, she's taken the path of heroism. An OC-centered story about the events of My Hero Academia,
1. Extra Information

Hello! Thank you for selecting my story to read. I hope you enjoy it. Before beginning, I'd like to add some notes here for anyone curious about the details regarding this fanfiction.

Firstly, I can be found on Archive of Our Own, , and Wattpad under the username PurelyBloom! Secondly, if you go to "Extra Information" on Wattpad, you'll find a commissioned art piece of Mallory Tinker, drawn by the talented on Instagram! I reached out to her on Discord at ?garlic?#9962. I'm super appreciative of her work and you should contact her if you want a commission of your own!

Now for story elements I'd like to touch on:

I first started watching MHA and came up with Mallory while season 3 was airing. I came up with Mallory's Quirk _before_ I knew of Mustard. The similarities are a coincidence. I am also aware that there was a recent spin-off manga (it will not be released in English until Spring 2021) that likewise features a character with a Quirk similar to Mallory's and Mustard's. Again, this is just a coincidence.

I do _not_ read the manga, but I _do_ keep up with the events in it. Prior to writing, I had already planned an original story for Mallory, so I keep track of the goings-on to hopefully prevent more similarities and avoid accusations of copying. I understand my insistence of everything being a coincidence is mere hearsay, but I hope you can be understanding.

All of my original characters have names that mean something related to/about them, just like the author of MHA does with his characters! The roots of Mallory's and other OC's names will come to light over time.

The story will include more and more original content over time before diverting entirely. Please look forward to it.

Every comment means the world to me. Please look forward to Mallory's journey.

Go beyond!

PLUS ULTRA!


	2. The Entrance Exam, Part I

**The Entrance Exam, Part I**

Mallory inhaled, and held her breath for a long moment as she regarded U.A. High School. Several other potential students joined her in gawking, while others brushed past her with nervous or confident strides. The academy was much larger and more intimidating than she realized, and certainly she had never seen anything like it at home; not when high school was less significant in her own culture. She clutched the pocket-sized book in her hands tighter, and finally exhaled through her nose. She paused to collect her thoughts, to reassure herself that everything would work out.

There was no point in getting scared now that she was here. She had prepared for this tirelessly, combing over the details of her Quirk's nature and staying in shape through dedicated exercise and dieting. The deep, yearning ache to become a hero that she had been afflicted with for the past several years could finally feel relief. She could do this. She owed it to herself to pass.

After taking another breath, she set her backpack down and rummaged through it, confirming that she had brought everything: a track suit, writing utensils (with extra pencils and erasers, should she or someone else need them), bus fare, and a box of matches, just in case the mock battle would require it. She wasn't able to find much information about it online, so she wasn't sure what it would entail, but she figured it was better to be overprepared.

She carefully put her book away, and her gaze moved down from the large glass panes of the building to face ahead of her, at the students steadily pouring inside. She straightened and followed them, passing under the gate of U.A. High School.

Just inside, rows of tables were set up in front of and behind the shoe lockers, each occupied by two or three people, a computer, and rows of exam tickets. Unfortunately, Mallory was immediately lost. They had signs set on top of the tables to organize people by name, but the syllables were in kanji.

_Uh oh. _She turned a little red, realizing that she would have to interrupt someone to explain her name. She hesitated for a moment, but realized that standing in the middle of the crowd as people went around her was worse than approaching someone. Mallory stepped into the shortest line and waited for her turn.

"Excuse me." She offered a slight, apologetic bow. "I'm sorry for the trouble, but my name is English, so it's written in katakana. I don't know where to go."

The middle-aged woman at the table looked up at her and smiled. "Oh, a potential exchange student? Not a problem. Do you know how to write your name?"

She wasn't an exchange student, exactly, but there was no point in correcting her. "Yes, of course." The lady passed her a notepad and pen, and she jotted down her name. "My first name is Mallory, and my family name is Tinker."

"'Tinker?'" the woman repeated thoughtfully, entering something into her computer. "Ah, your examinee ID is 1589." She stood up. "I've just checked you in, so now we'll have to go to the other tables and look for your card."

"O-Oh, no, I can go myself," Mallory offered quickly. "I don't mean to take you away from your work."

She smiled kindly. "Alright then. In that case, don't worry about the lines and just go through the cards, okay?"

"Right, I will. Thank you!" Mallory bowed once again and moved to the table to her right.

It took some time to finally find it, and she was embarrassed by the many stares she caught as she approached the tables from the back and awkwardly shuffled through the stacks of tickets, explaining her situation to each person sitting there. No one gave her any fuss, fortunately, and after going through four tables she finally found her ID, the picture she took of herself that she had submitted with her application stamped on the upper right. She quickly moved out of the way for incoming students and followed more signs into a massive assembly room, taking an uneasy seat near the end of a row that was almost full.

After many minutes everyone had filed inside, and a man with a gray, rectangular head stepped up to a podium set in the middle of a stage. "We will now commence the written exam," he said, his voice deep and rumbling. Mallory's heart jumped. Already? So quickly, without an introduction? She figured this man was a pro hero, but she had no idea who he was. But given that he was almost certainly a teacher, she probably should have brushed up on Japanese heroes that weren't in the top ten.

Just then, a frightening looking man with a black and green face and trenchcoat walked onto the stage and grabbed a handful of papers, many tall rows of them sitting atop a table behind the teacher that had spoken before. He breathed out some kind of blue and white gas, making Mallory jump. The gas fell to the floor in chunks, rose up, and suddenly there were more of him, each retrieving more papers and beginning to distribute them down the rows.

"Ectoplasm's so cool," the boy next to her whispered in awe.

_Ectoplasm? That's a really cool name. He'd be pretty popular back home, _she thought. His villainous appearance and name would definitely make him a public favorite.

"Students with the registration numbers 1451, 1589, 2925, and 4851, please come to the stage to retrieve your tests."

Mallory's heart almost stopped. For a second she panicked, unsure why she was being signaled out, but then she realized that she was probably being accommodated for her limited knowledge of Japanese. When applying for U.A. she did state that she was a foreigner, and included her mother's work visa information to prove her eligibility, but she hadn't been aware of any exceptions the school would make for her. She had added in a note that she had a good grasp on the speaking portion of the language, but her handwriting was sloppy, and written Japanese was incredibly complicated, so she was far behind the native speakers around her when it came to understanding the different writing systems and how to use them together.

"Excuse me, excuse me," she whispered as she slid behind other attendants, and she quickly bounded down the stairs.

"No uniform?" she heard someone murmur, and she flushed with embarrassment. It seemed that everyone was in the uniform of their current schools, but she didn't have one. She did try to look presentable, at least, wearing a red blouse with a black skirt of modest length and matching tights with flats.

She stepped up to the platform along with three others, exchanging nervous glances with two and a smile with another as they were given their tests. To her relief, it was in English, and she returned to her seat with a little more confidence than before.

It had taken her almost the full three hours to complete it, but at least she had been able to double check some of her work. The test itself wasn't so bad, but as the forms were passed down the rows and replaced with printouts for the next part of the day, Mallory guessed that she had only attained an average score. It covered a lot of Japanese history on heroes and Quirk legislation, which she had poured over only recently in preparation for the exam. She felt a lot more comfortable with the questions regarding international law, but it was the rules of her home that she was most familiar with. Thankfully her tutor had correctly guessed what the written exam would be about, and had been committed to making the topics take up a large portion of Mallory's curriculum for a month. Mallory had given it everything she had, so all she could do now was focus on what was coming.

Chatter now filled the air as people discussed how it went, exchanging their answers and lamenting their mistakes. Mallory found it difficult to launch into any conversations, so she opted to stay quiet, drumming her fingers on the table and taking deep breaths with her eyes closed.

Suddenly, she felt a poke on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked to see the girl seated to her left staring at her. "Your test was English," she said with a friendly smile, speaking Mallory's mother tongue in a thick accent. "Where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm from America. I can speak Japanese decently, it's just the writing that throws me off," she explained, offering a grin in return and relaxing slightly.

The girl was beaming now, and returned to talking in Japanese. "No way! That's so cool. Who taught you Japanese?"

"My tutor. I've been here for three years, actually, but I didn't know anything when I first got here, so I've been homeschooled the whole time. This'll be my first time at a real Japanese school."

Suddenly, the girl's expression and voice dropped, and she seemed offended by Mallory's offhand comment about attending U.A. "Assuming you get in." Mallory was taken aback. Well, it _was _incredibly hard to get in, so maybe this girl was really competitive? Or maybe she was really confident in herself, sure that she had a Quirk good enough to beat everyone else in attendance. Mallory didn't feel _that _good about her own abilities, and shrunk back a little.

"Uh...right." Mallory didn't know how to respond, startled by her mood swings. It was true that her chances were low, but she would definitely fail if she let the numbers get to her. A low acceptance rate was all the more reason to put in her best effort.

Just then, a screen came down from the ceiling, and most of the lights went out. A spotlight shone on the stage, and a man with long blond hair and sunglasses bounded up to the podium. "Hey, hey!" he shouted, grinning broadly. She noticed that he wasn't using the microphone, yet his voice carried through the room loud and clear. Upon closer inspection, he seemed to be wearing speakers around his neck. It appeared he was another professional hero with a voice Quirk.

_He'd be big in America, too, _Mallory thought as he continued to speak, amused by his energetic, commentator-like tone. After an awkward moment where nobody responded to him, he launched into explaining the practical exam.

The hero had held her absolute attention, of course, but she felt her anxiety returning after a loud student's question had been answered. Robots...how was she supposed to fight robots? Her Quirk was unsuited for that kind of combat! It was hardly suited for combat at all, frankly. Handling rescue missions or hostage situations seemed like things she could be good at. The less human her enemies were, or the more open space there was, the less she could do. She wanted to take a hero course in order to learn how to apply her Quirk in disadvantageous situations! Was this really fair?

Well, it wasn't like the world of being a pro hero was fair, but she didn't have anyone to rely on with this individual point system. Taking the route of sabotaging the other examinees - a tactic she knew she could capitalize on - was out of the question as well. It became more difficult to focus as she scrambled for an idea. She would have to get close to a robot in order to deal any damage, but what exactly could she accomplish? She had the forethought to bring matches in case she needed to cause an explosion, but could she cause one large enough to destroy the robots? She wasn't sure. Mallory hadn't exactly been able to test out the potential of fire related attacks. Then, maybe a pyrophoric attack would be strong enough? But she would have to maintain a close distance for that, and she could end up getting hurt. If only it had been possible for her to practice the range of her Quirk!

She was in a daze as she followed the other students out of the assembly room, fishing her book out of her backpack and flipping through it sporadically. However it was in vain, for reviewing the possibilities of her Quirk offered no better plans than what she thought of earlier. Utilizing fire was her best bet, but it still wasn't guaranteed. Really, wasn't this unfair regardless of the profession she wanted to be a part of? There was no way her Quirk could be appropriately assessed like this. Despite its versatility, she wouldn't be able to use it to the best of her ability here. Was she going to fail because of that? It was so frustrating!

Mallory trailed after other girls, waiting in line to get into the locker room to change. She was quick to put on a pink tracksuit and sneakers, but her stomach wouldn't stop twisting. From there, the students were led onto buses to take them to the field, and when everyone in her group boarded they were taken a short distance to the designated area, Battle Center D. When they arrived she stuffed her book away, grabbed her matches, and left her other belongings at her seat.

Seeing the fake city briefly took her breath away. The application said it was an urban battle, but...this was a real city! People could live here! Just how rich _was _U.A.? The skyscrapers made her feel small, and the situation made her feel even smaller. She wasn't sure how many points she could get, but even so - she had to do her best, no matter what.

She took several deep breaths to settle her nerves, tied her strawberry blonde hair in a ponytail, and sat down in the dirt to stretch. Some students gave her funny looks, but others seemed to take it as a sign and joined her. As she reached for her toes she considered that maybe she was worrying too much, that maybe this wouldn't be so bad, and she ignored the people surrounding her. Odds were that she'd never see any of them again, and this was an individual test, anyway. Getting to know them wouldn't give her an advantage.

She was standing now, pulling her left arm across her chest when a booming voice cascaded from a tower just behind her, making her jump. She turned to see the man that had explained the test earlier, putting a hand over her eyes to block the afternoon sun. "Alright, everyone, let's jam! Villains don't wait for the heroes to arrive. You have ten minutes. Now go, go, go!"

**AN: Hi guys! Thank you for reading. I just wanted to say real quick that while I know each hero class has 20 students, I really didn't want to remove someone from 1-A to make room for my OC, so I'm ignoring that rule entirely and the class will just happen to have 21 students. I don't intend to make it so that she was so good or tied with someone else that the school made an exception and let her in. Rather, in this fic, the school didn't have that rule in the first place. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, I wonder what Mallory's Quirk is? Stay tuned to find out. I'd love to hear any guesses below!**

**Also, I am a full time college student with a part time job, so expect sporadic updates. I do try to stay several chapters ahead of what's published, though.**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	3. The Entrance Exam, Part II

Immediately the crowd of students ran for the gate, and Mallory pushed her way into the middle of the chaos. She saw someone sail over everyone else, bounding into the fake city on all fours. However, she didn't stop to wonder about that kind of Quirk. She had to move fast!

The group paused as they moved into a large four lane intersection. Some people were stammering nervously, wondering which path to take, while others had already picked a direction and were running again. Another stampede ensued as everyone scrambled to get to a robot first, to rack up as many points as possible. Some people were climbing onto shorter buildings, and Mallory watched the same girl that had jumped over the group earlier scale up the side of a structure on just her hands and feet. Scouting was a good idea, but she didn't have the time. Without thinking she ran to the right, going west and following the hopping girl.

She ran a block with a few others, then veered to the left down an alley to break away, going around the building the girl from before had climbed. Mallory skidded to a halt after reaching the other side and pressed her back to the brick wall, peering out carefully. There, just in front of her, was a robot worth three points. It was lumbering towards her slowly, searching for targets. The size of it intimidated her, but she swallowed hard and drew the box of matches. She knew there were twenty in there, so there was little room for error. If she didn't move now, someone else would destroy the enemy. For just a few more seconds she focused on her Quirk, envisioning what she wanted to do, took a deep breath, and ran.

Silently she dashed out of the alleyway, heading straight for the bot. It's sensors trained on her immediately, red dots beginning to glow, and it charged for her. Instead of confronting it directly she slid under it, tipping up her head and exhaling against it's plating. As soon as she was clear of it she straightened and slid open the box of matches, drawing one and sliding it across the striking surface. A flame burst to life, and she threw it towards the robot as it turned around to face her.

She miscalculated the intensity of the explosion that followed. Mallory was blown off her feet, falling several inches back and hitting her head on the pavement as heat raked over her body and embers fell on her clothes. Her eyes screwed shut, both in pain and to shield herself from the bright light that was accompanied by a thunderous boom. In a second the fire subsided, and her senses were filled with smoke. Coughing, she tried to take stock of her surroundings, but the blow to her head left her disoriented. To her right, a smaller, one point robot appeared around the corner, spotted her, and skidded straight for her.

"Watch out!"

Before Mallory could move, something wrapped around her and pulled her away, and she watched as the robot went straight over where she had been lying. She was yanked several feet onto the sidewalk, where she was able to get her feet on the ground and stand. The thing on her waist moved away, and a hand touched her arm.

"Are you okay?"

Mallory looked over to see the girl she had noticed previously. She was short, with large hands and eyes, and a wide mouth. Her voice came out as an odd warble, and she stood in a hunched position.

"Y-Yeah," she gasped in reply, coughing a bit more. She watched as the smoke began to clear, her thoughts along with it, and was able to make out the blackened remains of the robot she had just blown up. "Thanks."

"No problem, but we should run." The girl pointed, and Mallory saw the robot from before had set its sights on them. She dodged as it veered towards them, the girl jumping in the opposite direction.

"_Ribbit!" _The girl opened her mouth, her tongue lashing out and striking the head of the robot with surprising force. The head snapped at a ninety degree angle, and a small pop of flames burst from the top. It collapsed, and the light of it's eye went out.

"Wow…." Mallory's voice was quiet as she marveled at the girl. So she was a frog? And she must've used her tongue to get her out of the way. "That's so cool! Your tongue is so strong," she said in delight as she rounded the robot, meeting up with the girl again.

She croaked, and seemed to flush a little. "Thank you. Your Quirk looks really strong, but it looks like you're beating yourself up when you use it. Be careful, okay?"

Now Mallory felt a little flustered, but was also very touched to have a stranger display concern for her. "Right. You, too."

Just then, a two point robot came barreling down the street. "_Kill, kill!" _a robotic voice chirred. The girls exchanged glances, realizing that they were at an impasse. Mallory didn't want to steal points from the other, but this was a test. Considering the frog girl's hesitation, she seemed to feel the same way.

"Do you think we're only scored based on how many robots we break?" the dark haired girl suddenly asked, surprising Mallory.

"What do you mean-?" Her sentence was clipped as the robot charged them, driving them apart once again.

"Heroes don't just fight bad guys!" the frog girl shouted, hopping out of the way of the rampaging robot. The girl looked at Mallory. "They rescue people, and work together!"

She bounded over the robot, trying to steer clear of it as her words clicked with Mallory. What she said made sense. Most heroes always had sidekicks with them, and they worked alongside other professionals regularly. Rescuing citizens from danger was a given as well. Maybe there really _was _a secret scoring system, but - what if there wasn't? It'd be best to separate if that were the case, but if not, they could benefit each other greatly.

"Uh...you! Come this way!" Mallory shouted. She checked her hand. Somehow, she had managed to keep her grip on the matches in the explosion earlier. She pulled another match out of the box.

"Call me Tsuyu-chan," the frog girl replied, and headed towards Mallory. The robot seemed unaware of the scheme the girl was forming, for it continued chasing Tsuyu persistently. Mallory held her breath and broke into a sprint, running past Tsuyu and heading straight for the robot. It tried to stop, digging it's spiderly legs into the ground and tearing up the street, skidding towards her as it slowed it's momentum. One leg raised to strike her, but she was able to sidestep with a sharp exhale.

She continued to breathe out as she maneuvered around the enemy, staying close enough for her breath to reach its metal plating. It clumsily tried to pull itself out of the holes it had created, giving her precious seconds to spend all of her lung capacity in close range.

"Tongue!" she gasped, jumping back as far as she could. Fortunately, the other girl understood. As she felt Tsuyu's tongue wrap around her, she struck a match and threw it as she was pulled back. Just as before, the robot was engulfed in a fiery explosion, causing her ears to ring with the harsh sound of metal and circuits setting ablaze. This time, however, she got out of the fray unscathed.

Her feet touched the ground, and Tsuyu pulled her tongue away. Mallory turned to her and smiled. "You saved me again. Thanks."

Tsuyu nodded, then put a finger to her mouth curiously. "So you have to get close to use your Quirk? That must be hard."

Mallory shrugged, offering a sheepish smile. "Well, I might be able to increase its range, but it's too dangerous to practice with. I wouldn't know if it worked without putting me or someone else at risk."

"Your Quirk is flammable breath?"

She opened her mouth to reply when a harsh screeching sound filled the air, and the girls covered their ears. "Seven minutes remaining! No time to waste chit-chatting!" The blond man boomed overhead, and the announcement abruptly cut off.

Mallory exchanged a glance with Tsuyu. He might've been referring to them. "We should split up," she suggested, "just in case there isn't any teamwork points."

Tsuyu nodded. "_Ribbit. _Well, be careful. I hope you pass!"

A strange, warm sensation flooded through Mallory in that moment. Her eyes widened. To her, what Tsuyu said was incredibly sweet and kind, and it elicited an instant happiness in her. Her thoughts of dismissing the others taking the entrance exam with her seemed silly immediately. Yet at the same time, she was struck with the fact that, were either of them to fail, she would never see this nice girl again, and that left her stomach in a knot. Given the danger she was putting herself in to fight these robots, she may not be able to pass. But the new prospect at making a real friend gave her renewed energy.

_That's right, _she thought. _If I can get in, I can finally make friends here._

"Thank you! I hope you make it, too." Suddenly feeling the weight of the time limit, she ran further west, forgetting to at least tell Tsuyu her name.

Fortunately, she never had to run for long to come across another robot. She took her chances and decided to blow up any one she saw, rather than striving for higher point values. Five more were destroyed in the same fashion as the ones before until she saw someone different, a girl that appeared to be limping slightly, struggling to get away from a three point robot.

Seeing this, Mallory didn't hesitate. "Hey!" she cried, coming towards the robot from the right. Both it and the girl turned to look at her in surprise, and she ran around the villain while breathing near it as closely and quickly as she could. By this point, however, she was getting short of breath. The constant running coupled with needing to hold her breath in order to use her Quirk was starting to take its toll, and she was flushed and sweating. On top of that, it was hard for her to get far enough away to avoid injury without Tsuyu's help. Her tracksuit was charred in several places, leaving black spots all over, and her head was throbbing from the barrage of intense heat and sound, not to mention that she had lost her footing and hit her head thrice more. She was sure she didn't look very impressive, but so long as she passed, that was fine by her.

This time, she wasn't fast enough. The robot swept out it's arm and struck her, sending her tumbling as she cried out in pain. Mallory rolled several feet down the street, clutching tightly to the matchbox, and when she raised her head she saw it lumbering towards her. She cursed under her breath and quickly lit a match, pulling herself to her knees before throwing it at the robot.

By then, it had moved out of range, the air behind it igniting. Only the rear of it received any damage, electricity arcing through the sky and raising her hair on end as the circuitry exploded. It stopped it's movement and turned around, and she noticed that there was a large, smoking hole in it's back.

_That wasn't enough? _she thought in horror, struggling to catch her breath after that blow. Her stomach dropped when she realized that it now perceived the girl she had been trying to save as a threat, and was preparing to charge her.

"No!" she screamed, desperately trying to get it's attention. She scrambled to her feet and lurched forward, but stumbled. Mallory gaped in terror as the girl yelped in fear, realizing that she was too far away to help her.

Just then, a triumphant shout cut through the air, and someone jumped down from the rooftop directly above the robot, landing a fierce punch to it's head. It crumpled at the force of the blow, small pops of fire spewing between the metal plates. The boy jumped down to the ground, flashing a spiky toothed grin.

"You girls okay?" he asked, and Mallory noticed that the hand that had defeated the robot appeared hard, as though made of rock. She and the other girl nodded, and his smile widened. "That's good! I guess I was at the right place at the right time."

Just then, another announcement came blaring over the simulation grounds, making Mallory's head throb harder. "Just one minute left! With most of them offline, how many more robots can you find?" the man laughed in amusement, and silence took over the clear blue skies once again.

In an instant, the red headed boy and the girl started in opposite directions, leaving Mallory behind. Despite the girl's limp, it seemed she was determined to keep going.

Mallory managed to ease herself to her feet and followed suit, going in the same direction as the young man that had helped them. Then, she felt a deep, tremendous rumbling from the ground, and heard the sickening sound of metal scraping against concrete and bricks, the sharp loudness echoing across the Delta field and making her teeth chatter. She spun around to see a massive robot several stories high rise from the ground just a few streets away from her.

_It's like Godzilla, _she thought weakly, her legs beginning to shake in fear. After a moment, she realized that it was the robot worth no points. "Th-That's way too big!" she gasped. It's mechanical eyes weren't facing her direction, thank goodness, but she wasn't about to take any chances. Taking a moment to collect herself, she moved away from the robot as fast as she could, but she had certainly slowed down in the past several minutes. At her sluggish pace, she was only able to come across one last two point robot before a loud siren blasted from above.

She was relieved when she heard it, but butterflies erupted in her stomach at the same time. It had sounded a split second after she blew up the robot, and again she had been thrown to the ground. She was lying prone on her back, coughing as she tried to catch her breath but inhaling smoke instead. An ember fizzled out on her chest, burning a small hole into her clothes. At least she had managed to avoid the massive robot, and as she closed her eyes to collect herself she hoped that anyone in it's way made it out alright.

_I wonder how those three did, _she mused, recalling the students she had encountered. Tsuyu came to mind in particular. On reflection, that brief, fleeting moment of working together with someone was incredibly thrilling, even fun. For a moment, she felt like a real hero. Mallory bit her lip, hoping desperately that she had passed, or that she could at least catch Tsuyu again. After a minute, she hauled herself to her feet and began retracing her steps, hoping she'd be able to find her way back to the gate without getting lost.

**AN: And another one! I hope you enjoyed, and let me know what you think! I'd love to know what you guys think of her Quirk. (I wonder if that's all she can do? Maybe she'll learn more over time!)**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	4. Winding Down

Thankfully, she was able to follow the trail of charred and broken robots she had left in her wake, and happened across a small group of three more students heading for the gate. "Woah," a boy muttered when she joined them, his eyes widening. Mallory flushed, more aware of her disheveled state than she was before. He tapped his right cheek while looking at her, and she rubbed at her own cheek in turn. When she pulled her hand away, she saw soot and a small streak of blood. It must have been cut along the way, and now that she was aware of the wound, a stinging sensation spread across her face.

As they rounded a corner, she saw a cluster of students ahead, waiting to leave. She raised her hands to her head to check, and realized that most of her hair had been freed from her ponytail, now loose and dangling. Locks of tight curls stuck to her face and neck from sweat, but she managed to quickly redo the tie to look just a bit more presentable.

"Good, good, this seems to be everyone." A little old lady was standing in front of the gate with a pleasant smile on her face, regarding everyone proudly. "All of you did a wonderful job. Are there any more injuries?" Her gaze swept over the students, stopping when she spotted Mallory. "Ah, you look a little worse for wear. Come here, dear."

Her face grew even redder when she was signaled out, and she heard a quiet chuckle in the crowd as she obediently moved towards the elderly woman. "I'm fine. Just a few scrapes-" She coughed suddenly, and realized her voice sounded painfully hoarse, and her throat felt like sandpaper. "Uh...and smoke inhalation." She heard another laugh somewhere, and looked down.

_I guess it doesn't look like I passed, huh, _she thought shamefully, the anxiety in her stomach worsening. To her shock, the woman puckered her lips and stretched out her mouth, placing a kiss to Mallory's forehead. "Wha-!" She jumped back in surprise, but noticed a green aura coming from her cheek, leaving a ticklish sensation. When it faded, she touched the area and realized that the cut was gone. Her headache faded, and at the same time she saw a glow from her right knee. She must have scraped it without even realizing, but that meant her tracksuit was officially unusable. Not only would she have to throw it away, but she would have to ask for money to get a new one. She hated it when she had to ask for something.

"Uh...thank you," she finally said after a moment, bowing awkwardly. The woman nodded.

"Now then, it's time for lunch," she announced kindly. "This way, everyone. You get one hour to eat and rest before the principal dismisses everyone. And be sure to drink lots of water!" She glanced pointedly at Mallory.

"Yes!" everyone cried at once, a new energy filling the air. She looked over at the group, but couldn't see Tsuyu anywhere.

As the crowd lurched forward she was pushed to follow them onto the bus, and Tsuyu's presence was still absent. Surely the frog girl was somewhere - maybe hidden by an unnaturally tall boy whose head scraped the top of the bus - but it seemed that her chances of talking to her again were slipping. The thought of not seeing her once more today, or maybe ever, made her catch her breath. Tsuyu seemed really nice, and Mallory found it hard to make friends given that she had spent the past three years focused on learning Japanese. Only now had she learned enough to be able to attend school, so in all honesty she had no friends here. Not being able to get basic contact information made her upset.

She looked out the window and saw buses from the fields before D were also heading down the road for the main building. At some point, those from field E joined up as well. The start times of the mock battles must have been a little spaced out to allow the old woman time to heal the injured. Mallory was soon caught up in a swell of people as the groups dismounted the buses at once, and she lost all hope of seeing Tsuyu again as people followed signs that pointed in the direction of multiple large rooms for lunch.

Even when standing in a buffet line, she couldn't see Tsuyu anywhere. She might have ended up in a different room altogether; maybe the main cafeteria, whereas Mallory seemed to be in a smaller connecting room made specifically to accommodate for the large amount of students that participated in the entrance exam. All of her energy vanished at the realization that her potential friend was out of reach, and her stomach was in knots. Their encounter had been so brief, but Mallory really thought she could have someone her age to talk to now, something she had longed for ever since she moved to Japan. She became acutely aware of her own loneliness in that moment, and swallowed hard.

_Stop it! _she scolded herself, putting a hand to her chest. She forced herself to breathe deeply and evenly, to stop getting herself so worked up. She had a feeling that Tsuyu was able to pass, and Mallory had scored just over thirty points. But if Tsuyu's theory was true, then maybe she hadn't failed yet. Besides, there was still the written portion to be considered. Yeah, that was right. It was too soon to give up. Immediately, she felt foolish. She really needed to work on keeping herself from panicking as soon as bad thoughts entered her mind. The anxiety and hesitation that it caused didn't suit hero work.

_And I _will _be a hero, even if I don't get in here._

She finally grabbed a large meal and started looking for a seat, dipping her head as she caught more sideways glances. Even though everyone had changed out of their clothes from the mock battle, she hadn't had the time to brush her hair, now unruly and tangled and limp. She could feel a sheen of sweat clinging to her forehead and making her clothes stick to her skin, and her face was still red, too. All of these were a testament to the difficulty she experienced, which embarrassed her considering that most people looked far less beat up than herself. So many of them had probably been fine tuning their Quirks for years, but for her, almost any environment was unsuitable to practice in, or the effects were difficult to measure. Studying had been the best way to learn how to use it, but without practical experience, it was only natural that she'd struggle in the practical exam.

No, no, she had to stop lingering on it. That was over now, and thinking about it would just make her believe that she had failed. Mallory needed to take it easy for a bit, at least until it was time for the next portion of orientation. She found a table and sat down, squished between people but not engaging in conversation.

It was evening when she returned home, the sun casting long shadows on the streets and dyeing the sky orange and red. Mallory was exhausted and anxious, but at least glad that her written test had been in English and that she wasn't seriously hurt in the mock battle. That would've made it impossible to pass.

At the same time, she felt a bit more high strung. Following lunch, everyone was brought back into the auditorium to hear a speech from the principle, a cute rat-like creature that Mallory kind of wanted to pet. He welcomed the students and thanked them for participating in the entrance exam, and spoke about what it meant to be a hero. A hero's life was fast-paced, spontaneous, and dangerous. The fact that they were given a layout of the practical exam at all was a privilege. A more honest exercise that better reflected the work of a professional would have placed them in the battle centers without any instructions.

He continued to describe the hero course as grueling, but rewarding. The examinees were pursuing a life few could attain, a career that has ended in death many times. It would be terrible and difficult, but necessary. There would be pain, but it would lead to strength. U.A. would be sure to mold those that passed into great heroes. Mallory knew all of this, of course, but the seriousness of his tone had weighed on her.

She didn't speak when she entered her home. Mallory was more than a little tempted to go to sleep immediately, but she managed to drag herself into the kitchen, where the scent of food still lingered, and she could hear the TV from the den. Her stomach growled, but she was too tired to make a large meal for herself. She settled on just a sandwich and pear, grabbed her water bottle, and headed upstairs with her plate. She sat at her desk, turned on her laptop, and emailed her family and tutor.

_Mrs. Maki, Aunt Sandra, & Uncle Dayton,_

_I finished the entrance exam! But it's hard to tell how I did. We did a practical exam where we had to use our Quirks in fights. We had to fight robots! I was able to get thirty points, which I think was enough to pass it, but I'm not sure. I got to take my written test in English, but it was mostly about Japan, of course. But thanks to Mrs. Maki, I think I did well. I was really nervous during lunch, but I do feel a bit better now. I got to meet a really nice girl, and I hope we both passed. I never got her contact information, so I would be really happy to see her again._

_I'm not sure how I'm going to survive the next week. It's so hard to be sure if I passed or not. My stomach has been upset all day. _

_Mrs. Maki, thank you so much for all you have taught me and helping me apply at U.A. Even if I don't make it, I'm really happy to have had the opportunity to apply at Japan's most prestigious high school._

_Aunt Sandra and Uncle Dayton, thank you for supporting me. I think I would have given up on becoming a hero if it weren't for you. Your encouragement means the world to me. By the way, my track suit got too burnt up to use again, so I need to buy a new one; I hope you don't mind. I'll let you know if I was accepted or not as soon as possible._

_Love,_

_Mallory_

It was a bit lacking in emotion, but Mallory wasn't sure how to explain the mix of anxiety and excitement she felt. She wanted to tell someone about every detail of her day, but she didn't want to worry anyone, and it could be tiring to type it all rather than say it. It wasn't like her parents were interested, anyway.

Well, she would see Mrs. Maki to resume her home schooling next week, and she could tell her then. For now, she finished her small dinner and took a shower, then crawled into bed just as the sun finished setting. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep.

**AN: So I learned after writing this chapter that the written exam came **_**before **_**the practical, which makes a lot of sense thinking about it now. So I had to do a lot of rewriting and ending up making an additional chapter. Oops. But hey, that's why you always try to say a few chapters ahead of what you publish! This chapter was short and slow, I know, but I wanted to establish Mallory's character a bit more. Things will definitely pick up next chapter. I would love to know what you think about my writing! Anything I can add or improve on? What do you think of Mallory thus far? Let me know~!**

**Btw, any mention of a student without any kind of description means they were just extras that Mallory won't encounter again. Basically, they're all people that failed. F.**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	5. Preparation

Finally, a week passed, and Mallory received a letter from U.A. The wait had been agonizing, and it felt like she and her teacher had been holding their breath for all seven days. The pressure gave her dizzying headaches as she spent the days pouring over her options should she fail. There were many wonderful high schools with good hero courses in the area, but U.A. had always been her first choice when it came time to choose. It was the only high school in the country that she was familiar with, given that All Might went there, and attending the academy would look great on a resume when she returned to America. With such intensive studying under her belt, she could circumvent years of hero training back home. Maybe she could become a professional hero at just eighteen or nineteen; an impressive feat in the States.

The mail always arrived in the early evening, around four o'clock, and on the seventh day since her entrance exam she had sat at the window for an hour, waiting to see the postman with mounting nausea. When he came, she watched him place the letters in the red pillar intently, ignoring the odd stare he gave her when he realized she was watching. As soon as he snapped the lid shut and moved on to the next house, she bolted out the door barefoot, threw open the hatch, and grabbed the stack of mail. There, directly on top, was a simple white letter with a red wax seal branded with "U.A."

Mallory was sweating as she ran back inside, throwing the insignificant bills on the dresser in the foyer and pounding up the stairs. She slammed the door to her room shut and sat down heavily at her desk, her hands trembling. She was relieved that it came on time, but now, all she could feel was overwhelming apprehension. Even though she had pinpointed other high schools, getting into U.A. would be a dream come true. She wanted to go somewhere prominent, somewhere that people would be impressed by. She wanted to go where All Might went, to the one place in Japan that Americans knew about. Mallory wanted to go somewhere that would leave no room for people to doubt her skills. She wanted to go somewhere that would force people from all over to acknowledge her potential to be a hero, if only to convince herself that it was something she could do.

She squeezed her eyes shut, held her breath, broke the seal, and reached inside. Startled, she opened her eyes when she felt something round and hard mixed with paper. She dug it out and looked down at a small device with a single button. She pushed it, and light emanated from the flat surface, widening to display a projection, which she dropped in surprise as a familiar voice boomed.

"I am here!" All Might, _the _All Might was standing proudly before her, and she couldn't help but note that he was wearing a yellow pinstriped suit and tie rather than his costume.

"All Might," she gasped in awe, her anxiety replaced with amazement.

"Greetings, young Tinker, and congratulations!" he continued, his voice commanding her attention. He was speaking English, so he must have been told that she was American. She couldn't help but to feel really - no, _extremely _happy that the world's number one hero had no doubt gone out of his way to speak in her native tongue, rather than giving a pre-prepared speech.

Wait. Congratulations…?

He was beaming, as he always was, but she thought that maybe he was showing genuine excitement. "I know how awful the wait must have been to hear the results, but fear not! There's no need to worry any longer, for I am here to give you the results!"

She was biting her lip in anticipation, his pauses making her stomach churn.

"You successfully passed the written exam, but do be careful! The school was willing to accomodate for the language barrier, but it won't always be like that. I know Japanese is difficult, but do your best to learn it more and more so you can reach your full potential in class!"

She found herself nodded eagerly. "I - I know, and I will!" she stammered, briefly forgetting that he couldn't hear her.

Even so, he nodded approvingly, as though he knew what her response would be. "And now, on to your practical exam! You scored thirty-one combat points, which is not enough to pass alone."

Before her heart could sink, he raised a finger and continued. "However! Young Asui had told you of an astute observation she had made."

For a moment, she was confused. Asui? She didn't know an Asui - then she suddenly realized that there had been only one person she had a full conversation with that day. "Did Tsuyu-chan pass?" she blurted, then snapped her mouth shut.

This time, All Might did not offer a gesture or reassuring word. "In fact, it is true that the practical exam does not score based on combat alone! A pro hero does much more than just fight. They save people, and work alongside others to achieve their goals. Your brief teamwork with Young Asui was superb. Despite not knowing each other, neither of you hesitated to help, and your quick thinking benefited both of you. While there are no points given for teamwork, the staff at U.A. was impressed by your instant and mutual trust, and you have certainly been rewarded for it!

"And that's not all!" His smile broadened now, and she caught her breath. "Like I said before, heroes save lives, just as you did! You helped Young Asui when she was being chased by a villain, and you did your best to assist an injured participant. You never tried to compete with anyone, and even though you were hurt and tired, you couldn't ignore someone that needed help. And that, Young Mallory, is the basis of our other point system: rescue points!"

She gasped. Tsuyu really _had _been right. But even so, Tsuyu probably didn't need her help that time, and she wasn't the one to really save the limping girl in the end. Did she really get rescue points despite those setbacks?

"Even though you struggled, you didn't stop moving. You did all you could to help people. Even if you yourself needed assistance, you didn't hesitate to save someone. Despite the slip ups, the staff at U.A. awarded you with twenty-one rescue points, for a grand total of fifty-two points! Congratulations once again; Mallory Tinker, you are now a student at U.A. High School!"

She had been leaning forward as he spoke, absorbed in every word, desperate to hear the results. When he announced that she had passed, her emotions exploded out of her in a scream as she abruptly stood up, her chair toppling.

"I did it!" she cried triumphantly, tears forming in her eyes. "I really did it! I made it!"

All Might was laughing under her delight, no doubt giving her room to celebrate. Her nerves were on fire, and energy was coursing through her veins. She wanted to jump and run around, but it didn't seem that he was done yet.

"And one last thing. You may have been wondering why it is I that is delivering such good news. Well, I'll tell you! I am officially a teacher at U.A. High School starting this year!" He gave a thumbs up. "I look forward to training you, Young Tinker. And remember: go beyond! Plus ultra!" With that, the screen shut off, and she was left alone.

"All Might...I'm gonna meet All Might?" She was so ecstatic with her results, so starstruck by the hero's appearance, that she couldn't contain her thoughts. Her fists pumped into the air.

"I made it!" she shouted again, not minding the lack of a response she received from downstairs.

"I _can _do it, you hear?" She stomped on the floor, smugness creeping into her voice. "I _will _be a hero, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Mallory didn't get an answer, and she pounded the floor again. "I'm going to U.A., _and _All Might will be my teacher. _The _All Might thinks I can be a hero! I'll show you! I'll be amazing!"

She stopped herself, realizing that a high, desperate pitch had entered her voice. For a moment she felt burning, fiery frustration at the silence that followed, and aggressively picked up her chair and sat in it. She tilted her head back and held her breath until she couldn't anymore, calming herself. There was no room, no need for those kinds of outbursts anymore. She had what she wanted now; there was nothing else for her to prove. For now, she had to get ready.

She returned to her laptop and emailed her family and teacher three words: _I did it._

The month that followed might have been even worse than the week long wait for her results. Her tutor was ecstatic, her aunt and uncle were immensely proud, and it made Mallory feel desperate to keep going, to continuously prove herself as a competent student and rising hero in her studies.

But there were loose ends to tie up first. Mrs. Maki helped her file a Quirk registration form, submit it to city hall, and pressed a friend that worked there to have it reviewed and approved quickly so that Mallory could receive a clothing allowance in time. From there she had to present a costume design for the company U.A. was associated with, which caused some challenges on it's own.

"Are you sure? Your design is so...scary." Mrs. Maki, a lean and pretty woman with streaks of gray in her dark hair expressed her concern as she looked over the rough sketch that Mallory handed to her.

Mallory shrugged, understanding her confusion and skepticism. "Well, I mean, my Quirk is kind of scary, you know?" When Mrs. Maki raised a brow, she continued, "I think this will be good for me. I feel like...like I need to embrace it for what it is."

Her tutor seemed at a loss for a moment, unwilling to discourage her pupil, but she pressed on. "But with your bright hair and eyes, you have a really cute face. The contrast might not look good if you're trying to look more villain-like."

Mallory hummed and fell back onto her bed, tapping the end of her pencil against her cheek in thought. What her teacher said was true; with bright orange hair and light blue eyes - not to mention her smaller frame - she hardly looked like a threat. She didn't have the natural appearance of a villain like Ectoplasm did. "Dark, mysterious heroes are really popular in America, though. They were my favorites to see on TV when I was a kid, so I've had this in mind for awhile."

Mrs. Maki frowned. "I didn't know that. But still, I'm not sure it's a route you could follow. You don't have a mutant Quirk that's made you look scary. In the list of pro heroes that look like villains, all of them were born with a frightening appearance, and their costumes highlight it; the costume doesn't make the image. Maybe we should go over the fine details again." She tapped the paper. "Like these accessories…?"

Mallory understood what she meant. "But the gas mask is a must, you know? It suits my Quirk. Even if it only covers my nose and mouth, it looks intimidating, so that's why I wanted to go all out with looking creepy. Oh! I know." She sat up abruptly. "A hood! If I add a black hood, I can cover up my hair. When you can only see the eyes, that looks frightening, right?"

"Ooh, I don't like that." Mrs. Maki shook her head. "You're just such a pretty young girl, it'd be a shame to cover all that up."

Mallory sighed, but couldn't help but feel fairly happy. Her teacher may have been acting like a concerned mother, but she loved that about her. She loved being cared for by someone that was only supposed to help her learn. She looked to her tutor's worried face and felt her resolve crumbling. "Oh, alright. No hood," she relented. "But I want to keep everything else."

Mrs. Maki smiled. "Alright, alright, I won't pester you about it anymore. Be sure you get this in the mail tonight, okay?"

"Of course."

Her teacher regarded her for a moment, and her smile widened. "Just two weeks left. I can't believe one of my students is going to U.A. I'm so proud of you, Mallory."

Unsure how to respond, Mallory turned away. "Thank you," she whispered, "but I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for believing in me, Mrs. Maki." She swallowed, feeling a swell of tears just below her eyes. "I'm going to miss you."

Mrs. Maki quickly stood up and hugged Mallory, much to the latter's shock. "I'll miss you, too." Her fingers lightly brushed over the other's hair, minding the curls of her armpit-length hair. "You've been a wonderful pupil, but I'm so glad that you'll finally be able to make some friends."

"You're my friend," Mallory blurted with a sniff. She returned the hug, gripping at her clothes tightly, her warmth searing her.

Her teacher laughed in reply and pulled away slightly, planting her hands on her shoulders. "Yes, I am. But I'm happy to know that you'll make friends that are your age. Aren't you?"

She nodded, and wiped at one of her eyes. "Well, yeah, but I wouldn't be able to without you teaching me Japanese. If you didn't encourage me to go to a real school, I don't think I would have applied anywhere. I think I might've given up on my dream of being a hero if you didn't say I could do it. If my teacher was anyone but you...I don't know if I could be as happy as I am right now."

Mallory began to cry softly, and Mrs. Maki held her again until she was able to speak. "Will I still be able to talk to you…?"

Her answer was instant. "Absolutely. I want to hear all about your studies at U.A., and don't hesitate to text me if you get caught up with the writing."

"You promise it's okay?"

"I promise."

"Okay…." Mallory shut her eyes and collected herself, stopping her tears and memorizing this gentleness and love. Without Mrs. Maki, she didn't even want to think about what she might've done about her future, what she might've done to herself. She really did owe her everything, and it wasn't something she could forget. Relief swept over her at her teacher's confirmation to stay in contact.

When she looked to her tutor again, she saw that she had tears in her eyes, too. "Now that that's out of the way," she said, sliding back to her seat at the desk and attempting to recollect herself, "I think it's time to learn some more kanji!"

Mallory groaned as she opened her notebook.

**AN: I realized I'm following the pace of the show by taking 5 chapters to start school but I swear that wasn't intentional. I might end up sticking to that formula for a time because while I have an arc around Mallory planned, I just don't know where to start it in the main plot. Developing her relationships with everyone in 1-A is more important, too, so I have to focus on that for now. Now it's time to ACTUALLY go to U.A. I hope you look forward to it! Please keep letting me know what you think of the story thus far, tell me what you like and what can be improved. Also, I'd still love to hear guesses on how Mallory's Quirk works. **

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	6. First Day

It was time. Mallory found herself at the foot of U.A. once more, admiring the impressive size of the world-renowned high school. There was no crowd around her this time; it was just her, alone and fidgeting nervously. This was it. This was really it. Her breath was caught in her throat, and it felt like her tie was squeezing her neck. She was now going to learn how to be a hero.

Her steps were heavy as she made her way inside, itching to quadruple-check the contents of her bag but knowing that everything she needed was accounted for already. This was just too nerve wracking! She hadn't been able to get a wink of sleep at all the previous night, and now she was here twenty minutes early. The morning sun was keeping her energy up, but she was worried that she would be burned out by afternoon. She doubted she'd make a good impression on her classmates if she was tired on the first day of school.

Mallory forced herself to take deep, even breaths as she climbed the stairs, following signs that pointed to the floor with the first year classes. _This place is so big, _she marveled in excitement, but she couldn't get rid of a worried look on her face. Everything was putting her on edge; the classes, her peers, the homework, the teachers...without knowing what to expect, her stomach was twisted at an odd angle.

Finally, she found herself standing before a massive door labeled 1-A. This was it. Her first time attending a real school in three years, and her first time going to a school in Japan. Even with Mrs. Maki's advice, it was hard to know what exactly to expect from the hero course of one of the world's best academies. She knew it would be far different from a normal high school experience, but it was difficult to prepare for. But most importantly, she was worried about making friends. She could only hope that she would get along with everyone.

Well, she couldn't stand at the door forever. Taking a deep breath, she opened it and slipped through, making sure to close it behind her.

To her surprise, someone was already here, sitting rigidly at his desk as sunlight flooded in from the windows opposite her. She was so early that she thought she'd be the first person to arrive. He turned a sharp gaze to her and stood abruptly, making her jump.

"Ah! Another student!" He was tall, with short dark hair and glasses. He seemed pleased with her as he approached with a smile. "And so early! The discipline to be prompt is a testament to good character. My name is Iida Tenya. Nice to meet you."

Iida was loud and boisterous, and made exaggerated gestures with his hands as he spoke. Caught off guard, Mallory stammered helplessly for a moment. "Uh - well, I was just too nervous to sleep, so I got ready really early. But I'm never late to anything! I mean, almost never...but there was no way I could be late to school when I go to a place like this. Um, I mean, my name is-"

"Wait!" She jumped again, and he jabbed a finger at her, expression suddenly critical. "Your tie is loose, and your skirt is turned up at the hem!"

"What?" Mallory looked down, realizing that she did look a little disheveled. "Oh, sorry!" she cried, quickly smoothing out her skirt. "I put this on a while ago because I was so nervous, um-" She paused, noticing that the sloppy attempt of securing her tie had failed. "Sorry, but would you show me how to tie this? I've never had to wear one before."

He snapped to attention, seeming to take the matter very seriously. "Of course!" Iida reached out for her tie at first, stopped himself with widened eyes, and instead undid his own. Mallory flushed a little, embarrassed at his gesture but more comfortable that he opted out of having his hands so close to her.

"This is how I do it," he continued, ignoring his slip up entirely. Mallory followed his instructions carefully, securing the tie even better than when she first put it on. "Be sure you practice this when you get home!"

_So intense! _she thought. "Er, right! Thank you." She offered a slight bow, hoping that she could remember what he showed her.

Just then, she heard the door open, and Mallory turned to see a girl with long black hair pulled back in a spiky ponytail enter. Their eyes met, and the girl smiled politely as she stepped closer to them.

"Hello." Her voice was soft, and she bowed in greeting.

"Hello! I am Iida Tenya! Nice to meet you!"

She looked startled by his outburst, and Mallory was relieved that she wasn't the only one. "I'm Yaoyorozu Momo. It looks like we'll be classmates! I'm looking forward to it."

Mallory found herself grinning. "Oh, Momo? That's such a cute name!" she blurted. "My name's-"

"_Ribbit? _Oh, it's you."

She hadn't noticed the door open this time. Her eyes widened, and she was positively ecstatic. "Tsuyu, uh, chan!"

"It looks like you got in," the frog girl croaked, a finger to her mouth as Mallory bounded over to her. "I'm glad."

"Oh my gosh, I'm so relieved!" Mallory replied. Indeed, she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and a shot of new energy coursed through her. But she suddenly remembered that she might have been coming across as too excited, and more words tumbled out as she tried to avoid sounding overly attached and creepy. "Uh, I mean, it's just, you were so nice to me, and your Quirk is so amazing! I was really rooting for you, you know? When I got my acceptance letter, I was hoping you made it, too."

Thankfully, Tsuyu's large mouth pulled up into a smile. "I know what you mean. I thought it would be nice to see you again, too. It's great we'll get to be classmates now, isn't it?"

"Yes!" Mallory nodded vigorously, thrilled that she would see more of this kind girl. They could be friends! She could make friends here! She was overjoyed.

"Hey, I remember you! So you made it, huh?" Now she was met with a boy with spiky red hair, his bag hanging over his shoulder. It took a second, but then his face registered.

"Oh, yeah!" she gasped, amazed to see someone else she vaguely knew. "It's nice to see you again! I never got to thank you for helping out."

He waved his hand. "Nah, don't worry about it! That's what a hero does, you know? Name's Kirishima Eijiro. Nice to meet you!" He looked between Mallory and Tsuyu. "You two know each other?"

Mallory shook her head, and turned to Tsuyu, who was watching them curiously. "No, not really. Tsuyu-chan helped me out before I ran into you. It looks like we were all in the same battle center."

"Yeah?" His grin broadened, and he and Tsuyu introduced each other. Mallory felt like a bubble, ready to pop at any moment. She could get along with them...she could bond with these people!

More students began to file into the classroom steadily, and she couldn't help but watch them all as they made their way to their seats while Eijiro and Tsuyu exchanged in small talk about the mock battle. In this school, where they were all striving for the same goal, where she would be with these people with the same dedication as her for the next three years...it made her equal parts nervous and excited. She hoped she could be as great as everyone else surely was.

"Everyone! Class will begin shortly. Take your seats immediately!" She was startled yet again by Iida, the power of his voice making her scuttle to the twenty-first desk and sit down. Well, he wasn't wrong about needing to get ready; this was her first time at a real school in a few years, and she didn't want to screw up.

As she pulled out a notebook and pencil, Iida started lecturing a boy that had his feet on the desk. She didn't really understand why he was upset about it, and he seemed really serious, so Mallory was wondering if it was best to avoid him. But then again, he _did _help her out with her tie. Maybe he was just high strung?

Shortly before the bell would ring someone else arrived, who Iida seemed to be a bit familiar with. Mallory couldn't see what was going on from her position, but she also heard a girl's excited voice. They must've been the last students to arrive.

Their conversation abruptly stopped, and she saw some people in the front row exchanged confused glances. She didn't have to wonder what was going on for long before a girl with short brown hair and a boy with messy green hair entered the room, looking flustered. A ragged man with long, unkempt hair and heavy bags under his eyes followed them in.

He turned to look at the class, and spoke tiredly. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota. Nice to meet you."

Mallory stiffened. This guy was really a teacher?

He pulled a tracksuit out of a sleeping bag and told everyone to put one on and head for the field.

"Your uniforms are in that bag over there." He pointed to a big orange bag at the back of the room. "Be quick about it."

Mallory gulped, and a crowd ran for the bag, almost knocking her out of her chair. Well, it was nice to know that she wasn't the only one feeling scared of him.

The clothes had the students' names on them on the tags, so it was easy to find her own once the group had thinned somewhat. The school must have gotten their measurements from the company where they sent their costume designs, because it was the perfect size. Everyone filed into the locker rooms down the hall, apprehension burning the air.

"What do you think we'll be doing, Tsuyu-chan?" Mallory whispered as she pulled on a blue suit with U.A. printed on it in white.

"I guess we're going straight into a training exercise," the frog girl surmised, "but that means we're going to miss the entrance ceremony."

"'Entrance ceremony?'" she repeated, confused. The girls finished changing and started to head downstairs, going to the shoe lockers to put away their loafers and grab the sneakers they wore to school.

Tsuyu looked at her questiongly as they made their way to the back of the academy. "Yeah. You've never been to entrance ceremony? I thought every school had them."

"Oh, well, we don't have them at home. I'm from-"

"That took too long," Mr. Aizawa, their apparent homeroom teacher, muttered. He had been waiting in the athletic field for them, and he seemed unhappy. Mallory snapped her mouth shut.

"But now that we're all here," he continued, scratching his head, "it's time for a Quirk Assessment Test."

Everyone, including Mallory, was surprised. A different girl mentioned missing the entrance ceremony, and Mr. Aizawa's retort struck her. "If you're going to be a hero, you don't have time for such leisurely events."

Right. Mallory knew that. Being a hero was tireless, unforgiving work, but she was ready for it. She took a breath and focused, tying up her hair while he continued talking about the teachers not following tradition. Back when she was in school, the use of Quirks was prohibited, of course, but she was disappointed to know that it seemed this assessment was entirely physical. As he signaled out a boy named Bakugo - who apparently came in first place in the mock battle - and told him to throw a ball using his Quirk, Mallory lamented that hers wouldn't be usable for this.

_He said the practical exam wasn't rational, but neither is this! _she bemoaned inwardly. _Am I going to get a bad grade just because I can't use my Quirk?_

Bakugo threw the ball with a loud yell, launching it with a powerful explosion. Mallory's jaw dropped in amazement as it sailed out of sight. No wonder he scored the most points in the practical exam! With a powerful Quirk like that, he'd be able to excel in this test with no problem.

_I can't compete with that_, Mallory realized, her ears turning red. Oh, boy. She really was in trouble.

Her classmates didn't seem to share her sentiments, growing excited at the idea of showing off and using their abilities. Mr. Aizawa didn't seem to appreciate the atmosphere, because then he dropped a bomb that made Mallory's stomach turn to ice.

"Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential and will be punished with expulsion."

Mallory was speechless. No way...after coming this far, she was at risk of expulsion? What if everyone else was able to use their Quirks in some physical way throughout the tests? What if she ended up dead last? It wasn't her fault that her Quirk had to do with breathing!

The brown haired girl was the one to speak up, calling it unfair. Aizawa interjected with the simple fact that heroes were those that reversed unfair disasters and crimes, giving Mallory pause. She glanced at her hands. Unfairness...yes, she was well versed in that. She really, truly understood what she was getting herself into. Mallory wanted to be a hero because she knew she was able to do what few could. She wanted to find use in her dangerous Quirk, to move past her fear of her own capabilities. All of these feelings stemmed from the pinnacle of something terrible and unjustifiable. But how was she to start this journey when she was facing expulsion on the first day of school?

**AN: Thank you for reading! Your continued support is greatly appreciated. And don't forget to lend me some critiques! It's challenging now that the story is following the plot of the series, because I don't want to retrace every moment and therefore the past tense can be clunky in my opinion. I'd love to hear suggestions!**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	7. Quirk Assessment

Her worries were eased a little when it came time for the first test: a fifty meter dash. Some of the students weren't using their Quirks, so she felt better about being unable to use her own. Of course, she should have been aware of the fact that her classmates had a diverse range of abilities suited for different situations, just as her own was. It made sense, it made total sense, but despite being fairly confident in her athletic ability, she couldn't shake a foul taste at the back of her throat.

Her regular exercise was rewarded when she outran an invisible girl by three seconds, getting a score of 8.7 seconds. Not nearly as good as several others, but she was just glad she wasn't in last place. Maybe that alone could save her from being booted out of U.A.

"Ahh, no way! This test is no good for me!" the girl complained, her sleeves moving up and down frantically.

Mallory smiled slightly as she caught her breath, standing by the robot that recorded their times. "Mine either," she offered, hoping to placate her. "But that's why we have to work even harder, you know?"

She stopped flailing. "Then, I'll get even more fired up!" she declared, and they stepped out of the way for the next pair.

Next came the grip strength test, which she did average in. 25.5 kilograms wasn't so bad, and her score was higher than some of the girls and a very short boy, but she wished she could have done a little better. Mallory never thought of practicing her hand strength after moving to Japan, and made a mental note to start doing so. But again, she was relieved that she didn't come last. _Maybe I _can _do this._

The standing long jump also didn't go as well as she hoped, but she couldn't complain too much. Some were able to clear the sandbox completely, including Tsuyu, but Mallory only made it about a third of the way. While she was still disappointed that she couldn't apply her Quirk, it didn't seem that she was falling behind. In fact, she was doing okay. A lot of the boys surpassed her, but that was fine. She found herself comparing her scores to the girls, and she seemed to be able to keep up with them okay. So long as that was the case, maybe she could get a decent total by the end of the tests.

_You won't be expelled, so calm down, _she thought to herself when it came time for the repeated side steps. That went okay as well, but it was frustrating to know that there was nothing she could do in that moment to do better. All she could do was continue to exercise to bolster her physical strength and speed, but what if she fell behind her classmates in practical training because of her inability to use her Quirk as a boost? No, she didn't want to think of that right now. She had to focus on doing her best to not get last place.

Now for the ball throw. Her best score was forty-four meters exactly; a decent average, even if she couldn't hope to match the classmates using their Quirks, particularly the brown haired girl that somehow got a score of infinity.

Then it came time for the boy with freckles and messy hair. He seemed really nervous, and Mallory could sympathize. A lot of them were visibly on edge about potential expulsion, herself included. She couldn't recall him using his Quirk in the previous tests, and she wondered if he was like her or the invisible girl; his Quirk just wasn't usable for physical activities. She didn't know what his scores had been thus far, but given his apprehension, he may have been performing poorly.

Then, a look of determination passed across his face, surprising her. He pulled his hand back to throw the ball, and her eyes widened. Maybe he was about to use his Quirk-?

No, he didn't, and the ball moved a little further than her own. She was confused at first, until it occurred to the class that Mr. Aizawa appeared to be using his own Quirk. He looked terrifying, his scarf and hair floating around him as he complained about the practical exam. "You're Eraser Head!" the boy gasped in astonishment.

"He's an underground hero," someone next to her whispered in awe. Her eyes widened. She figured that he was probably a professional hero, but didn't realize that he wasn't well known even among her classmates. She thought that everyone would know who he was.

"He'd be really popular back home," she muttered to herself, unable to help but admire the eerie presence he gave. That was the kind of image she had in mind for her own hero status, and dark heroes that stayed away from the media were always considered cool in America thanks to the influence of old comic books from the pre-Quirk era.

She didn't quite understand what was going on, but as Aizawa wrapped his scarf around the boy and pulled him close, she figured he was receiving advice. Mallory found that unfair. The teacher had been so hands off the whole time, and she would have loved any insight as to how she was doing or what she could do better, and maybe he had an idea about what she could use her Quirk for. A big part of the reason why she chose to go to a hero school was to learn from others instead of figuring everything out herself!

The boy collected himself, preparing for the second throw, and launched it with explosive power, gusts of air whipping her hair back. The class gasped in awe as the ball sailed out of sight in an instant, his strength comparable to what Bakugo had demonstrated earlier. Mallory felt quite small and weak against a Quirk like that, and swallowed hard. She had a lot to prove if she was going to be a pro hero….

Katsuki charged at him, angry for a reason she didn't understand. He called him Deku, so they must've known each other. She watched, fascinated, as Mr. Aizawa bound him in his scarves, which were apparently strong capture weapons made of carbon fibers and a metal alloy. Mallory was stunned, and made a mental note to learn more about it. Mr. Aizawa's Quirk must have been of a similar nature to her own if he had to use a support item for combat.

As Deku hurried back towards the group, she noticed that he was holding his hand, and realized that his index finger was heavily bruised and swollen. She inhaled sharply. So his Quirk hurt him? Her hands started to itch, and she resisted scratching at them. She had some questions for him, too. Already she felt bloated with the amount of inquiries she had in mind.

The test returned to normal rather quickly, and she resumed her average pace during the sit ups. However, to her surprise, she seemed to be one of the most flexible people in the class, easily bending low enough to reach past her feet in the seated toe touch.

"That's amazing." Tsuyu, her partner, helped her up after Mr. Aizawa acknowledged her score with a wordless nod.

"Oh, not really," Mallory said, scratching the back of her head. She was a little flustered to be praised. "I just like yoga, that's all."

"Teach me how to do that!" a girl with pink skin piped up, looking at Mallory excitedly.

At the request her heart jumped, and her cheeks turned a little red. "I'd love to!" she replied happily, thrilled that someone else had not only taken notice of her, but wanted her to help with something as well.

After an uneventful long distance run, everyone was now standing before their teacher, and Mallory's anxiety intruded her thoughts once again as she waited for the final results. In the end, she hadn't been able to use her skill at all, and this was supposed to be a _Quirk _assessment test. Even if she was physically more capable than others in certain areas, would she fail by default? Was there a secret system that warranted failing in the same way that secret rescue points allowed her a passing score in the entrance exam? She hadn't considered it before, but now that she thought of it, she felt dizzy with distress.

To Mr. Aizawa's credit, he didn't waste any time. Starting from the bottom, she couldn't help but sigh in relief when she saw that she wasn't in the twenty-first place, though she did feel bad for whoever was. But looking up, she saw that she had landed at a mere sixteen. Well, there was no way she could have gotten a good score, right? But she didn't really like being in a low standing. Mallory balled her fists. She would just have to work even harder for next time.

Then the teacher announced that he had lied about the expulsion, and she could have collapsed. "What?" she yelped in shock, slipping back into English. All of that worry for nothing? Mr. Aizawa was a sadist! A sadist!

"What the heck…." Her shoulders sagged, but at least the one with the lowest score wasn't leaving. Everyone was here to improve their strengths and overcome their weaknesses, after all. It was too soon to decide that any of them had no potential, at least in her opinion.

Everyone was quiet as they returned to the locker rooms to change, the tension still lingering as they thought about the results and released their anxiety. At least, that's what Mallory was feeling, but given the silence, she thought others had the same mindset. She couldn't help but collapse into her seat when she got back into the classroom, and she read over the syllabus as it was passed back to her.

When she was done, she slipped the paper inside her bag and hesitated, looking at Tsuyu's back. She still wasn't used to talking to people, let alone someone her age, but she really wanted to be friends with her. She briefly closed her eyes, then stood.

"Tsuyu-chan! Good work today," she said with a smile, approaching the frog girl's desk. "You were great."

Tsuyu croaked. "Good work," she repeated. "You got the third highest score in flexibility, didn't you?"

Mallory rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, but I didn't get to use my Quirk at all, so I was in sixteenth place." She chuckled. "I guess I'm a little disappointed I didn't get to show off, but I'm really glad we didn't have anything to worry about."

"Hey, don't sweat it." Eijiro, who sat next to Tsuyu, was also standing now, and joined the conversation. He grinned. "My Quirk wasn't really good for the tests, either."

Mallory was surprised. She had been so focused on her own performance that she hadn't paid a lot of attention to her peers. "Really? But yours is so strong!" she recalled, although she didn't completely understand what it was. "And you got a higher rank than me."

Eijiro seemed a little embarrassed, and he laughed. "Well, that's true, but my Quirk is good for offense and defense. Not really something to help me run faster or throw a ball harder."

"Speaking of which, your Quirk is hard to manage, isn't it?" Tsuyu spoke to Mallory. "There was no way it would help you with the assessment."

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Eijiro asked curiously. "I didn't catch it when I ran into you at the entrance exam."

"I think her breath is flammable, right?" Tsuyu glanced at her for confirmation. "She was getting real close to the robots, then ran away and threw a match, and there'd be a huge explosion."

"Really? That's so cool! But that does sound hard to use, huh?"

Mallory felt flustered, her cheeks turning red. "Uh, well, it's not _quite _like that."

Before she could explain, Tsuyu interjected. "By the way, I never caught your name."

She paused, then gasped, raising her hands. "Oh, you're right! I'm sorry." She smiled and moved one hand to her chest. "My name is Mallory Tinker." Immediately, she realized her mistake. "Um, well, I mean - Mallory is my first name, and Tinker is my family name. So, Tinker Mallory, I guess? But, er, just call me what you want! I don't mind." She felt even more blood rushing to her face. How awkward to screw up an introduction!

"'Mallory?'" Tsuyu repeated. Her brow furrowed and she repeated it, trying to make the 'l' sound. It was sounding more like an 'r.' "That's an unusual name."

"I guess it is here, huh? But I'm from America, actually."

Eijiro looked stunned. "What? No way, that's awesome! You're an exchange student?"

"Not really. I've lived here for three years now because of my mom's work, but I've been homeschooled to learn Japanese. I've never been to a Japanese school before, and I'm not used to talking to people," she admitted. She bowed humbly before the two of them, unfamiliar with the gesture but feeling it was right. "I may get something wrong, but I promise I never mean to disrespect anyone, and I hope you would be willing to help me if I have questions. Please be kind to me."

When she looked up, both of them were smiling. "So that's why your accent's so odd," Tsuyu said in response, seeming a bit amused.

Mallory covered her mouth. "Oh, no. Is it too thick? Am I hard to understand?"

But she shook her head. "Not at all. But I've been wondering where you might be from, Mallory-chan."

Her own name sounded strange on Tsuyu's tongue, but Mallory felt a warm, ticklish glow at the nickname. "'Mallory-chan,'" she echoed. "I love it! It sounds so cute!"

"And don't worry about screwing up," Eijiro added, offering his hand. "It's gotta be harder on you to be here, so I got your back." He winked. "Can I just call you Tinker?"

She accepted his hand firmly, brimming with joy. She didn't particularly care for her surname, but she knew calling people by last names was commonplace in Japan, and she doubted anyone knew of the foul wordplay that could come about from it. "Yeah, of course! That's fine. And may I call you Kirishima-kun?" It was a bit of a mouthful, but she was charmed by it nonetheless.

"Sure!"

"Oh, I'm so happy!" she sighed, unable to hold in her feelings. "There's no English equivalent to honorifics like -chan or -kun, but I think they're so cute! And using them means we're friends, right?"

Both Eijiro and Tsuyu nodded. "_Ribbit. _Friends," the latter affirmed, standing up. "Should we head to the station together?"

As the trio walked out of high school, with Mallory between them, she couldn't help but continue with her enthusiasm. "Getting to walk home with my classmates is so fun! I'm so glad. Oh! And I was wondering," she looked up thoughtfully, "do you think I can address the others in the same way? I don't want to offend anybody."

"You could probably call the other girls by their first names. Since we're all the same age, we don't need to be really formal," Tsuyu suggested.

Eijiro added his own input. "I'd stick to calling the guys by their family names, though."

"Got it!" Mallory nodded firmly, determined to remember their advice.

"What's it like in America?" Eijiro asked. "How you talk to people, I mean."

She looked to him. "We call almost everyone by their first names back home, unless they're adults," she explained. "There's no words like _kouhai _or _senpai, _either, so even upper and underclassmen are just called by their names. Guys will call each other by their last names sometimes if they're friends or on the same sports teams." She shrugged. "We're a lot more relaxed about what we call people back home."

For small talk, it left a profound effect on Mallory. It wasn't interesting to her to describe that American high schools were four years long and that schools didn't have entrance ceremonies or exams, but she was captivated by the positive attention and genuine interest of her peers - her _friends._

She couldn't wait for tomorrow.

**AN: I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! I actually have all the events up to the end of season one written and completed, but I haven't had the time to keep ahead of that pace. Fortunately I'm now on winter break and I intend to write a lot more! Thank you so much for your patiece! Once again be sure to critique!**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	8. School Life

"Good morning, Tsuyu-chan!" Mallory was seven minutes early on the second day, not because she had slept better, but because she had decided to pace herself a little better. No need to be so early all the time, after all.

"Good morning, Mallory-chan," Tsuyu replied, sitting at her desk already. "You're energetic today. Are you a morning person?"

She laughed. "Well, kind of. But I can't help but be excited! We didn't do much yesterday, but today we should have a real hero class! I can't wait."

"I'm kind of nervous," her friend admitted, and Mallory agreed, feeling her hands start to itch slightly.

"Yeah, me, too, but I'm sure you'll be great," she assured her, and Tsuyu nodded.

Mallory then turned and approached Iida, who was sitting rigidly at his desk. "Iida-kun! I wanted to say thanks for showing me how to tie this yesterday." She pointed to her tie, which was securely fastened.

He uncrossed his arms and gave an approving nod. "It was no problem. It's important to keep your uniform tidy and up to dress code!"

She faltered a little. "Uh...right." He really was intense! Then she offered her hand. "I wasn't able to introduce myself properly yesterday. I'm Mallory Tinker. You can call me whatever you want to."

He regarded her curiously now, cupping his chin in his hand. "'Mallory?'"

"Yeah. I'm American, so Tinker is my surname. I'm used to being called by my first name, but like I said, I don't care what I'm called. I know my first name can be hard to say."

Iida didn't think about it very long, and offered a polite smile. "Then, Tinker-kun. Nice to meet you." He accepted her hand and shook it with a tight grip.

Her smile widened. "And you, too. Is 'Iida-kun' okay? I just want to be sure I don't offend anybody."

He nodded. "Yes, it's fine."

"I'm glad!"

Mallory heard the classroom door open, and the girl with short brown hair that she sat behind piped up. "Oh, Deku-kun! Good morning!"

She turned and saw the boy that had hurt his finger during the ball throw approach. "Uraraka-san, good morning," he replied politely. "Good morning, Iida-kun." He turned to Mallory and nodded, which she returned.

"How's your finger?" Tenya asked.

Deku held up his hand, and Mallory was surprised to see that it looked perfectly fine. "It's okay now. I saw Recovery Girl again this morning, so it's all fixed up."

"Recovery Girl?" Mallory wondered aloud. "Who's that?"

"The school nurse," Deku replied. "Um, she came around after the entrance exam and healed any injuries."

The image of the old woman clicked. "Oh, yeah! Now I remember. She helped me out after the mock battle. I didn't realize she's the nurse." She furrowed her brows. "But still, you get hurt when you use your Quirk? That must be tough."

Immediately, he became flustered, and his ears turned red as he looked away. "Uh, well, yeah! It's a little hard, but I'm alright! And I can get used to it! I mean, not like used to breaking bones, but I mean getting used to using my Quirk so that I don't get hurt anymore. Yeah, that!"

Mallory tilted her head. He seemed a little...awkward. It was strange to see that his Quirk had such a negative impact on his body, especially at his age - he had plenty of time to learn how to use it, after all - but she couldn't judge him. The properties of her own Quirk made it difficult to hone. "Well, that's what we're here for, right? To get better at using our Quirks. Yours is so strong; I'm sure you'll be great once you get the hang of it."

The red in his ears spread across his entire face in response, and he might've trembled slightly. "Uh, you're right, thank you!" He bowed slightly. "I'm Midoriya Izuku!"

_I thought his name was Deku, _she thought, but figured that was just a nickname. "Then, Midoriya-kun. I'm-" she paused, a little lost for a moment "-Tinker Mallory." _That sounds dumb._

He looked up with a shy smile. "Nice to meet you, Tinker-san."

That '-san' felt too formal for her, but she decided not to say anything. It wasn't as though he had given her a malicious nickname or something, so it was easier to let it go. She flashed a smile at him and turned to look at the girl with short brown hair, who had been listening quietly. Mallory felt a little nervous to be the first to speak, but wanted to put her best foot forward now that she was in U.A. "Can I get your name?"

The girl beamed, and Mallory was relieved by the friendly vibe she gave off. "I'm Uraraka Ochaco."

Mallory went blank. "'Urararaka' - no, Uraraka?" She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, her face turning red. Her name was hard! She immediately regretted asking. "Er, is Ochaco-chan okay? No, wait!" She flushed even deeper, realizing that she had gotten the syllables wrong, emphasizing the 'oh' sound. "I'm sorry, I mean O-_cha-_co-chan." All of her nerves returned in full force, leaving her sputtering. "I'm so sorry, Japanese isn't my first language! I'll try not to mess up again."

Ochaco was looking at her in confusion, and she prepared to bow to emphasize her sincerity when she suddenly burst into laughter. "It's okay, don't take it so seriously! I heard you mention it to Iida-kun. You're from America, right? That's really neat! I don't mind if my name gives you a little trouble. Just call me whatever's easiest for you!"

Mallory exhaled in relief, having an instant feeling that Ochaco would make a great friend. "Oh, thank goodness! This is my first time at a Japanese school, so I'm pretty nervous. I'll try not to do that again."

But she shook her head. "No, really, don't worry about it! I guess my name is just hard to say for some people." Then she pointed at her. "Look, your name is hard for me to say, so we're even, Mallory-chan!"

Mallory could have hugged her, but opted to smile instead. "Great!"

"Class will be starting soon. Tinker-kun, you should get into your seat," Iida suddenly said, looking at his watch.

Mallory obediently took her seat, and waited patiently for Mr. Aizawa to arrive. He entered the room a few moments later, told everyone in a monotone voice that normal classes were held in the morning and hero courses would take place in the afternoon, and shambled off. He was immediately replaced by a man she recognized to be Present Mic, who greeted everyone with so much contrasting energy that it startled her.

"What's up, everyone?" he shouted in English, but then switched to Japanese. "It's time for English class! But first, attendance."

She had almost forgotten that the average curriculum included an English course. Well, at least it would be an easy A. She rummaged through her bag and opted to pull out a small kanji workbook; she was certainly behind her classmates when it came to Japan's complicated writing system, so she figured she may as well focus on that in the meantime.

First and foremost, though, she paid attention to Present Mic's roll call, determined to learn the names of all her classmates. _Tokoyami-kun, Kaminari-kun, Toru-chan... _she thought, hoping she wouldn't forget. Mallory wanted to get along with everyone here, to work alongside her peers and become a hero with them. Getting their names right and calling them by an appropriate title was merely the first step.

Then, Present Mic called on her last. "Oh, 'Tinker!'" He enthusiastically pointed a finger at her. "You know English already?" he asked in her native language.

"Er, yeah," she replied, also using English.

"Exchange student? Where are you from?"

She shook her head. "No, I've lived here for three years now. I'm from America originally. Montana, to be exact."

He nodded with a broad grin. "Great! How have you been liking Japan so far?"

Everyone was looking at her now, clearly curious, but she smiled despite her slight embarrassment. "It's great! There's no big cities like this back home. There's always something to do."

Present Mic seemed pleased with her answer and gave her a thumbs up. "That's what I like to hear! You'll be breezing through this course, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," she said with a small laugh, scratching the back of her head.

The teacher then addressed the whole class, returning to Japanese. "Well, now that attendance is out of the way, it's time to learn!"

The lesson started, but Mallory hardly paid attention. Instead she focused on her little book, copying the curves and lines of different characters and trying to remember their meaning. She was dimly aware of what was going on, and glanced up every now and then, but she had no trouble picking the correct answer or fixing a grammatically incorrect sentence. It would be unfair to participate, so she never raised her hand. A painfully boring course for her to be sure, but she was happy to treat it as a bit of a study hall.

After English came a Japanese lesson, which had Mallory's rapt attention. Every detail was written down, no word left uncopied. She was incredibly fortunate to still be able to rely on her tutor for homework help later, but she was looking forward to potentially getting closer with her classmates by asking for help. For now, she wrote her notes in English, but would make an attempt on translating them later.

Next came hero law, math, and science. The law course also required a fair amount of concentration on her part, but it seemed rather easy to follow. While she wasn't well versed in anything that had to do with legal Quirk usage, she felt comfortable with the assumption that Japan's rules wouldn't be so different from America's. When she returned home, this would certainly give her an edge in her education.

Math and science made her the most comfortable. They were the same in every country, after all, so she wasn't worried about falling behind the typical education of an American high schooler. Science especially was a breeze; she had to do a lot of independent studying to use her Quirk, after all.

Mr. Aizawa returned to the classroom after Cementoss's lesson concluded, he made an announcement in the same bored, tired voice he always had thus far. Seriously, was he alright? "All right, time for lunch. Tinker." He held up a small white booklet that he had brought with him.

She sat up straight, startled that she was called out. "Yes?"

With a slow but controlled movement, he tossed it to her underhanded, easily clearing the distance of the room. She just barely caught it, tightly clasping it between her palms.

"That's the manual for the equipment that came with your costume. Look it over while you eat," Mr. Aizawa explained, pointing at it.

Mallory's eyes widened in excitement. Her costume...this was part of her costume! She was so relieved to be given instructions on how to use the intricate support items that her Quirk required. She just hoped she could remember it all when it came time to put it on. "Yes, sir!"

The bell rang for lunch, and Mallory was riled up about hero classes again. She was trying pretty hard not to bounce her legs as she sat at a table between Tsuyu and the invisible girl and across from Eijiro.

"You're...Toru-chan, right?" Mallory asked politely as she fumbled with her chopsticks, trying to grasp slippery soba noodles between them.

"Sure am!" the invisible girl replied between bites of food. "It's good to meet you!"

"You, too," Mallory said. She carefully brought some food to her mouth and ate, hoping she didn't look as silly as she felt. It was hard to bring herself to slurp when that was such an unseemly thing to do back home. With her free hand, she held open the little manual and perused the contents. To her joy, the instructions were in English.

Tsuyu peered over at the book, noting the picture of a gas tank and various tubes. "_Ribbit. _It looks like you're going all out on your costume, Mallory-chan."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Eijiro piped up, pointing at it with his chopsticks. "I thought you could blow stuff up like Bakugo here." Said classmate was sitting beside him, and he raised his eyes towards Mallory, showing the first sign of interest in their conversation.

"Huh?" His voice was low and his gaze was sharp as he glared at her, seeming to demand information about her Quirk.

Mallory leaned back slightly with wide eyes, intimidated. "Uh, no, it's not really like Bakugo-kun's. You make explosions from your hands, right?"

His eyes narrowed further, making her sweat. "Yeah, what about it?"

_Is he trying to pick a fight with me? _she wondered weakly. "Well, that's why we're not the same," she continued carefully. "I can cause explosions, sure, but that's more of an effect of my Quirk. I can do more than that."

Bakugo was extremely bothered by this, apparently. "_Huh?" _he repeated with a growl. "Are you saying you think you're better than me? That you can use your Quirk better than I can use mine?"

She stiffened, taken aback by his aggression. Eager to placate him, she rushed to respond. "No, I'm not! I'm just saying my Quirk isn't strictly explosions…."

"I can do all kinds of things with my Quirk!" he insisted, raising his voice. "I can kick anyone's ass, so don't even try me!"

"I wasn't going to…." Her voice grew softer in fear. What was _wrong _with him? It was making her a little angry, but she was mostly feeling meek. "I couldn't do what you were doing during the Quirk assessment-"

"That's right!" He slammed his hands on the table, nearly toppling his drink as he stood up slightly. Eijiro shrank back from him with a confused expression. "You didn't use your Quirk at all back then, so don't even think that you're better than me!" As quickly as he had worked himself up, he threw himself back into his chair and resumed eating.

Mallory blinked several times, stunned. Why did this guy have such a terrible attitude? She couldn't believe it. She locked eyes with Eijiro, who seemed just as troubled, and Tsuyu was looking at her.

"What's with him?" Toru whispered, reflecting everyone's sentiments. "Mallory-chan, are you okay?"

She swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, thanks." Feeling awkward after her strange encounter with Bakugo (who she now knew to avoid at all costs), she quietly continued her lunch while reading the book Mr. Aizawa had given her. Those around her similarly finished their food in silence.

Back in the classroom, Mallory was still on edge. The manual was easy enough to read, but she was bothered by her confrontation with Bakugo. Despite the horrible attitude, she had to admit that she was impressed by his skill during the Quirk assessment test. Using his ability to keep his feet off the ground and launch a baseball over seven hundred meters was incredibly impressive, and more than she could do. Her life would be a lot simpler if she had such a versatile offensive Quirk.

_But I'm in U.A. now, on my way to becoming a hero, _she reminded herself. _If my Quirk was good enough to pass the mock battle, then I can do this! I may not be a top hero, but as long as I get to save people, that's good enough._

Her reminiscing was cut short when All Might suddenly burst into the room, making her jump.

"I am...coming through the door normally!" he declared, then laughed at his own joke. She gasped.

"It really is All Might," she whispered in awe, mimicking the excited murmurs that swept across the room. As he marched to the front of the class in an old costume, she held her breath as her nerves shocked her stiff. This was it, the first step to becoming a professional: Hero Basic Training!

Their teacher gave a quick introduction to the course, but wasted no time in announcing the topic of their first class. When he announced combat training, she could have fainted. Mallory needed combat training the most, to learn how to fight with her difficult Quirk. If All Might was teaching her, then she would be sure to figure out how to use her power to the best of her abilities.

She felt hot as a series of numbered boxes slid out from panels along the side of the room. The one labeled twenty-one was hers. Her costume, her uniform for the dangerous yet rewarding career she chose. Mallory swallowed thickly, her hands trembling.

"After you change, gather in Ground Beta!" All Might boomed.

"Yes, sir!" Mallory joined the chorus of students that replied fervently.

It was a bit of a stampede to get to her costume, but everyone made it into the locker rooms unharmed. The girls were quick to stuff their clothes away and open the suitcases, squealing eagerly.

"It's exactly how I pictured!" Mina cried gleefully, hugging the costume close.

Momo nodded, looking over her own outfit. "Yes, it's perfect," she added with approval.

Mallory was already putting her costume on, appreciating the handiwork as she wore it. It was probably going to take her the longest to get ready, and she didn't want to waste any time. Everyone was ready after a few minutes and began to file outside.

"Do you need help with yours, Mallory-chan?" Tsuyu asked, already done.

But Mallory shook her head. "No, I think I have it figured out, but thanks!" Once the frog girl left, she looked down at the intricate pieces of her ensemble, studying it carefully. She had an idea of how everything worked thanks to the manual, but there was a lot for her to take in.

This was it. After struggling to use her Quirk in the entrance exam and being unable to use it in the assessment yesterday, she finally had a chance to show what she could do. She could show off, demonstrate her potential, look past those days of hating herself and her power.

She could do good things with it, no matter how dangerous it was. She could prove her capability for heroism despite the villainous traits of her Quirk, despite her capacity for destruction that evildoers could only dream of. She would show herself and the world that she could save people, _would _save people. She would redeem her own ill fated ability.

**A/N: :D So! What do you think? Let me know!**

**It's time to see Mallory's costume, and better yet, learn about her Quirk for REAL! I hope this has been engaging enough for everyone. Since this is a retelling of events in a different perspective I worry that it might be a little boring ^^; So please tell me your thoughts, and I hope you look forward to the next chapter!**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	9. Combat Training

Her costume was dark and imposing, a solid black armor that lended an intimidating appearance that Mallory could never pull off otherwise. As she stepped through the tunnel into Ground Beta, she reflected on her conversation with Mrs. Maki weeks ago, and smiled slightly in amusement. When coming up with the design for her clothes, she wanted to emphasize the frightening characteristics of her Quirk. To her, it wouldn't have made much sense to give herself bright clothes that stuck out, especially when her abilities were so muted in scale. No, she certainly didn't want to give herself a flashy outfit when she wasn't capable of being dazzling.

That was why she settled on a simplistic yet eerie look, tied together by support items she couldn't do without. She wore a black shirt that covered her shoulders and a matching skirt that cut off just above her knees, the fabric for both lightweight and easy to move in. On top of her clothes, every inch was covered in dark strips of a thin yet resilient metal that became triangular points just beyond the hems of her sleeves and skirts, roughing up the edges of her costume and giving it a more dress-like appearance. The material she was covered in was just strong enough to protect her from hand to hand assaults, able to deflect knives from close range and soften the blow of a bullet from far away. It was the best she could do without hindering her movement further, given her petite frame that an average man could overwhelm. For extra power she wore calf-length boots with similar protection, allowing her to deliver more hard hitting kicks when necessary.

Mallory was weighed down enough by the accessories, which topped of the threatening aesthetic that she hoped would lead people to pause when considering a fight. Strapped to her back by a harness was a silver gas tank that stretched from the base of her neck to her waist. There was a thin nozzle atop the canister that three circular pieces extended from, and said nozzle was secured shut with a screw. The protrusions were color coded, and two clear plastic tubes with matching markings on each end were attached to them. The red tagged pipe was secured to one of the two gauges strapped to her right wrist. The second line was a yellow electrical cable, fastened to a black metal wrist cuff on her left.

The final tube, distinguished with bright blue tips, ran around her right side and was plugged into the bottom of a black gas mask that took up half of her face. A large dial was set between the filters on her cheeks, and it was arguably the most difficult piece of her ensemble to handle: with no way of looking to check the green arrow that marked a neutral position, she had to rely on memorization alone to choose the setting she needed.

The bright light of the afternoon sun hit her, and she blinked as her eyes adjusted. Standing before her was All Might, posing proudly as the last few students made their entrance. Mallory took quick stock of everyone's costumes, admiring them. Some flashy, some casual, some cute, and all amazing. She felt a new but incredible pride in that moment. She was among these people, in costume, ready to train for heroism. It really was a dream come true.

Before she could offer any compliments, All Might got the ball rolling. "You look so cool!" he said earnestly, delighting her. "Now, shall we begin, you zygotes?"

Mallory drank in every word eagerly, filing away the valuable information he provided. She actually wasn't aware that most crimes occurred indoors, but it made sense now that she thought of it. That meant that, in the majority of cases, she would be in an advantageous environment. She couldn't have hoped to hear anything better.

He laid out the curriculum for the day, and as he explained the objectives she was getting even more fired up. Being on a team made things a little more complicated, but she could work around that. She was equipped for it. Mallory had a belt from which three gas masks with clear plastic visors hung from for this exact situation. She was so happy with her costume; every detail was perfect!

All Might drew lots, and she was on team B, a hero group with two intimidating boys that she hadn't spoken to yet. Mallory walked between them as they made their way to the monitoring room, shifting her gaze between them. One was extremely tall with three webbed arms on either side of him. If she remembered correctly, he had achieved the top score in the grip strength test the other day. She took note of the cloth he wore over his nose and mouth; probably not good enough to protect himself from her Quirk, but that was fine. She was relieved to not be paired with the boy with the bird head, because she had no way to keep him safe.

Now she looked to the boy who's left side was encased in ice. He also did well in the test, but she wasn't entirely sure what his Quirk was. She wondered if they were supposed to take the time to strategize, but first, introductions. She still wasn't sure how she should give out her name, but they didn't seem like the type to tease her about it later.

As they entered the monitor room, she turned to the tall boy. "Hello, I'm Mallory Tinker. Tinker is my family name, but I don't really care what you call me. Nice to meet you." Without thinking, she extended her hand.

Fortunately, he was gracious enough to accept it, sparing her the embarrassment of using the wrong greeting. "Shoji Mezo. Nice to meet you, Tinker."

Thank goodness, he seemed nice enough. She looked over to the other boy, who only nodded and said in a low tone, "Todoroki Shoto."

"Good to meet you," she replied. Maybe he was the quiet type, but that was fine. The room grew silent as the five minute set up time came to an end, and she settled down to focus. She wanted to watch and analyze the first two groups, to absorb any information she could and think about how she would win up against their Quirks.

To say that what she witnessed was brutal was an understatement. Thoughts of studying went out the window because she could barely stand to watch Katsuki so recklessly pummel poor Izuku. His fiery powers frightened her, and to see him use it to hurt someone made her shrink away, scratching at her hands furiously.

She turned away as he used the large grenade on one of his arms to create a strong blast, decimating a chunk of the building. Her eyes met with Shoto's, and he glanced at her hands. Realization flickered across his face, and he turned away. She held her breath and willed herself to lower her arms, but still struggled to watch the fight. Her classmates were crying out for All Might to stop it, and she didn't understand why he refused to intervene, but she kept silent and chewed on her bottom lip.

Fifteen minutes felt like an eternity, and it barely occurred to her that Ochako and Izuku had won. When the lights in the monitor room came on and the three standing participants entered, she tried to subtly stay between Mezo and Shoto, out of Katsuki's view. She couldn't stand to look at him. _He's crazy, _she thought meekly, her stomach in knots. _He's a villain, not a hero!_

She honestly tried to focus on Momo's assessment of the fight, but she found it hard to pay attention. Mallory was wound tight, not only disturbed by Katsuki, but realizing that she was going to undergo the same training soon. She really wasn't cut out for combat, yet she didn't like the thought of relying solely on her Quirk. Too late, she realized that she had trapped herself between a rock and a hard place. She'd have to work harder than she ever had before to become a hero, and now she was wondering if she was really prepared.

"It's time for the next groups!"

Mallory jumped as All Might's voice commanded attention again, and turned to watch him stick his hands in the boxes to draw lots. "This time, the hero team is B, and the villains are team I! Head off to the building across from the one we just used."

Her heart dropped. Her turn already? But this was so different from the mock battle! She was frozen briefly, but seeing the other four easily stride out of the building made her scuttle behind.

When they arrived, her team watched the opponents enter the building, and after a few seconds All Might announced that the groups had just five minutes to prep. In the meantime, she opened a pouch on her hip and attached to a belt and withdrew her manual, double checking something. When she was satisfied she then pulled out another booklet, the pages wrapped in worn brown leather. It was the book she had used in the mock battle, and she never left home without it. Feeling comforted to have it in her hands, she turned the dial on her mask twice to the right, eliciting soft clicks. She held her breath for a moment, concentrating, then began to breathe deeply.

Mallory looked up from her book, observing her classmates. "Should we go over our Quirks?" she suggested shyly. "Shoji-kun, what can you do?"

He obliged, and the stumps above his hands morphed into various extremities: two eyes, an ear, and a mouth. "With this, I can see or hear anybody coming. I'll know where they are as soon as we get inside."

"That's amazing!" she said, impressed. Then she turned to Shoto. "Todoroki-kun, you have an ice Quirk, don't you?"

He nodded once, barely sparing her a glance, and she faltered. Was he really just quiet, or was he in a bad mood? Did he not like her for some reason? She hated when she couldn't tell what someone was thinking.

Before she could say anything else, a buzzer echoed across the grounds. The battle had begun!

Mezo was quick to step inside first, turning his arms into ears and listening carefully. She quietly crept inside alongside Shoto after a moment, and Mezo gave them the villains' whereabouts. Once more, she admired his capabilities. She checked one of her gauges and frowned. She wasn't ready yet.

"It'll be easy to get Toru-chan to slip up with Todokori-kun," she said, "and I have an idea for handling Ojiro-kun. By the time we get up there, I should be able to-"

"Go outside. It's dangerous."

Mallory faltered when Shoto suddenly spoke. "Wh-What?"

"I'll take care of this," he continued, as though he didn't hear her. There was a cold command in his voice that made her sheepish, and she glanced at Mezo. He looked just as puzzled as she did, but shrugged and turned to leave. She looked between them for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"But, Todoroki-kun," she tried to say. He turned to her, his visible eye narrowed, and she followed Mezo outside in defeat. As she was leaving, she became aware of an extreme drop in temperature. Turning around in the doorway, she watched as the entire hallway was encased in ice in an instance, and she backed away. She gasped in shock as the ice enveloped the entire building in no time, surely freezing the villains in place.

She was stunned. "He's so strong," she whispered in awe, but also felt a terrible defeat. She hadn't even done anything, and she didn't want any credit for the test. She was really anxious to try out her Quirk, which was so difficult to practice with, and she had been looking forward to using it safely. But still, she had done nothing heroic.

Mallory kept her head down as they returned to the viewing room, blocking out the quick review of the match. Todoroki's overwhelming power had made a fool out of her, but she felt more humiliated than angry. Once it was over, she heard a soft beep, and saw the green light of the gas gauge that was attached to the red tube shining. The tank was full, but there was no point now. She turned the dial on her mask to its default position in defeat, unable to empty the canister.

The exercise continued, people moving in and out around her, but she was too miserable to care. She hadn't proved a thing, hadn't done anything to show that she belonged in the hero course. Mallory didn't want to fall behind, nor did she want to give the impression that she relied on people doing everything for her.

As her shame pressed down upon her, it finally overflowed once the last groups returned. "A...All Might!" she suddenly shouted, raising her head. Everyone turned to look at her, and she flushed red, but pressed on.

His smile didn't waver, and to her surprise, he seemed a little pleased. "Yes, Young Tinker?"

Her eyes turned downward, and she took a breath as her hands tightened into fists. "Um, I'm sorry, it's just…." She could barely stand the stares, but this needed to be said. She collected her thoughts and continued after a brief pause. "I didn't get to do anything today. Shoji-kun and Todoroki-kun did all the work, and everyone else did their best. I don't deserve a score. I failed today's class."

As she spoke, her irritation flared up again. Shoto was more than capable of handling the exercise on his own, sure, but he let Mezo use his Quirk! Did he think she was unimportant or something? Although, to be fair, teaming up with her would always carry a risk. That was in her nature. Damn it...how was she supposed to feel?

All Might hummed, cupping his chin in his hand. "A very modest observation, Young Tinker! I was hoping you would say something." He snapped his fingers. "Well, I think we have time for one more round. Would anyone like to go one on one with Young Tinker here?"

She was relieved. She didn't realize that All Might had been paying attention, much less wanted her to speak up. To hear the number one hero commend her confession gave her renewed energy, and a new desire to make him proud. He was her teacher, after all!

"I'll do it," Eijiro offered, raising his hand.

Their teacher gave a thumbs up. "Thank you, Young Kirishima! And why don't we switch roles as well? You'll be the hero this time, and Young Tinker can be the villain. Now, head on out! Let's try to be quick here."

"Thank you, Kirishima-kun," Mallory said as they walked over to the building together.

He grinned. "No problem!" he replied confidently. "Just make sure you bring your A game."

She nodded. "Right!" Then she turned and ran into the building.

"The missile is in the same room that it was before." All Might's voice filled her head from the earpiece he had given her before going onto the grounds. "Use your time wisely!"

Mallory bounded up the stairs, the time crunch spurring her on. "Yes, sir!"

She needed every second to prepare, so when she was finally in the windowless room, she decided not to move. She would need a teammate to place the missile somewhere else in time, anyway, but that left another issue on the table. If Eijiro was aware, he'd know where she was immediately.

_But I have the advantage, _she realized. That's right; her tank was still full! That spared her plenty of precious time. After locking the door firmly, she briefly circled the area, shutting a vent she found on the floor. Then she pressed the button on her left wrist, and the screw that secured the canister on her back spun and sprung up, releasing the gas she had trapped inside with a hiss.

The gauge connected to the red tube, pointed right, slowly turned to the left as the pressure in the tank decreased. In opposition, the needle in the gauge beside it moved the other way, measuring the amount of gas that was filling the air. Below the main markers on each instrument were smaller, digital screens that read the parts per million in the air or tank. A vital piece of information, to be sure - after all, she would kill someone without it.

The room didn't change as the composition of the air shifted, and she turned the dial on her mask once to the right, backing away from the door as the buzzer to start the battle blared. Mallory closed her eyes for a moment. _I can do this. I know what I'm doing,_ she told herself, but soon she realized that she was trembling, just slightly. She cleared her mind and focused, breathing out more of the contents that was once in her gas tank. It was okay. She wasn't using anything that could hurt him. She wouldn't hurt an innocent person again.

Only a few minutes passed before the doorknob turned, making her jump. Then it bent badly, and she took a step back. Eijiro pounded on the door two more times before it flew off its hinges, barely hitting her. He was smirking in the doorway, his arms hardened and strong.

"I thought you might've been staying in the same place," he said casually, stepping into the room.

Mallory swallowed, but his smile put her at ease. _I need to get him to talk. _She crouched slightly without thinking, as though she planned to actually fight him. Yeah, right. She had little knowledge of self defense, and even with her armor, his Quirk would easily get the better of her. "You sure about that? Took you an awful long time."

He laughed, following along with her banter. "You think so? Maybe it just felt so long because you were panicking. Not that I can blame you. You're facing _me, _after all." Unlike Katsuki, his tone was playful, confident but not arrogant.

"What, five minutes wasn't enough time to prep?" he continued, walking towards her. "Sorry, but it looks like I've got this one in the bag-" He stopped short, about a foot from her, and his eyes drooped. He lurched forward, barely keeping himself on his feet.

"Hey…." His voice slurred, and he abruptly collapsed, crumbling to the floor.

She blinked, slowly straightening her posture. Mallory could barely believe it. Sure she had a plan, but she hadn't been one hundred percent sure that it would work. The buzzer rang throughout the building again.

"The villain wins!" All Might declared loudly, shaking her out of her stupor.

"I did it," she marveled, staring down at Eijiro. As it sunk in, she grew more excited, and jumped. "I did it! I won!" she cried in delight. But she couldn't just stand there. She stooped down and put Eijiro's arm around her shoulders, then did her best to drag him out of the room.

_He's heavy! _It was quite a chore to get him to the stairs, but thankfully, he was already waking up.

"Ugh...what happened?" he groaned, voice low and tired. He shook his head as if to clear it, and struggled to his feet.

Despite her mask, it was obvious that Mallory was smiling. "I was more prepared than you thought."

She helped him down the stairs, where a crowd waited for them at the entrance.

"Hey, Kirishima! You okay?" Mallory recalled that the name of the boy that spoke was Denki.

He put a hand on his head, sliding his arm away from her. "Yeah, I think so. Just tired." He was clearly weary, which made Mallory feel a little bad as he slowly moved towards the group.

"That was amazing, Mallory-chan," Tsuyu piped up, a finger to her lips.

"You didn't even touch him," Kyouka added, looking surprised. "You knocked him out so fast!"

"Like Midnight," chimed a really short boy, but Mallory couldn't remember his name.

"Um, who?" she asked. She had never heard of a pro hero named Midnight.

Before he could answer, Toru interjected. "How did you _do_ that?"

Mallory was a little flustered to be receiving so much attention, but it made her feel accomplished and confident, and she was happy to explain. "I just used isoflurane. It doesn't have a color or odor, but it puts you to sleep fast. It's used as an anesthetic, actually."

"I figured your Quirk was related to creating gas." Momo spoke now, smiling about her correct hypothesis.

Mallory rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, I guess my equipment gives it away, huh?"

Tsuyu croaked questioningly. "So what _is _your Quirk exactly?"

All eyes were now on her, waiting for an explanation. She definitely felt a bit of embarrassment, but everyone's interest made her feel...well, proud, and she didn't feel that very often. "It's Gas. When I focus, I can change the molecular structure of the gases in my lungs to just about anything, so long as I have the right atoms in my body. I let it out by breathing normally."

"So during the mock test, you really _did _have flammable breath."

She nodded. "Yep! A little bit of propane did the trick. But my Quirk is really tricky, too. I had to make sure that there was enough gas in the room to put Kirishima-kun to sleep, but not enough to have any bad side effects." She pointed at her back with her thumb. "Having this to store up gas and let it out when I need to is a big help, and these gauges-" she pointed to her right arm- "help me measure the danger level of what I use."

"That's so cool," Eijiro marveled. He was using Denki for support, who seemed to barely hold in his laughter.

"So you can let out gas when you need to?" he sputtered, sucking in his lips. Mallory's confidence faltered, and she furrowed her brows. A slim boy with black hair standing next to him similarly began to chuckle. Without thinking, she huffed indignantly.

"You don't have to be rude about it," she muttered, but admittedly, she was used to this.

Suddenly, the leg on the side of Denki's body that Eijiro leaned against gave out, and he fell to the ground with a startled shout, taking Eijiro with him. Just as quickly, the black haired boy's face turned green, and he covered his mouth with his hands.

"Ow! What the heck?" Denki complained, Eijiro barely able to pull himself away. He must have been struck with exhaustion again. Horrified, Mallory realized that she never turned her mask back to its default position, and scrambled to do so.

She hadn't meant to make them inhale a high concentration of gas that caused muscle weakness or nausea - it was probably nitrous oxide - but it looked so intentional that she hesitated to say anything. Mallory had a habit of exhaling things that weren't carbon dioxide when she was worked up and unfocused. Some of her classmates didn't look impressed with the two that had been laughing at her, though, and to her relief, Kyouka nodded approvingly.

"Serves you right," she said with one hand on her hip while the other cupped her nose and mouth, watching the black haired boy try to stifle his urge to throw up while Denki rubbed his leg. Then she turned to Mallory and gave her a thumbs up.

"Don't worry about those guys. Your Quirk is great."

Mallory's agitation vanished in an instant. "You think so?" she asked incredulously, and she smiled from ear to ear when Kyouka nodded. Everyone could see it now. Her potential, her strengths, what she could do!

All Might coughed, breaking up the conversation. "Good job, Young Tinker! You performed well. In fact, everyone did! That concludes today's hero training. You're all dismissed. Now, then, I'm off like a hero!" With that, the hero sped away, blasting the students with the wind in his wake.

**AN: Yay, her Quirk is revealed! More details will be touched on next chapter. Look forward to it, and let me know what you think of the story this far!**

**I'm also on Archive of Our Own and Wattpad with the same username, and my deviantART account is PuresDreamyWorld if you'd like to follow me elsewhere!**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	10. Doubt

"Tinker! What did you do to me?"

Mallory jumped, suddenly confronted by the boy with black hair as she walked back into the classroom. "Um, what?" she stammered.

"My stomach is killing me!" He clutched at his abdomen dramatically. "I've been feeling sick since the end of class!"

Just then, Toru walked over and placed her elbow on Mallory's shoulder. "That's what you get for laughing, Sero-kun," she chimed, seemingly pointing at him.

Mallory flushed, not wanting to seem like a bully. "Er, actually it was an accident. I didn't mean to do that to you…."

"But still, you shouldn't have made fun of her Quirk," Toru insisted.

Mallory was stunned. "It - It's okay, Toru-chan," she tried to say, but before she could explain that she was used to it, Hanta shook his head.

"No, she's right," he admitted. "I'm sorry about that. I actually think it's pretty cool, you know, the way you took out Kirishima without lifting a finger."

She was speechless for a moment, not used to receiving compliments about her Quirk. As it sunk in, she couldn't help but blush and grin from ear to ear. "Th-Thank you! Um, and I really didn't mean to make you nauseous. So...we're even?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Even."

Mallory was delighted. Her classmates were so wonderful!

"Tinker-san."

She looked over Hanta's shoulder to see Momo approaching with a warm smile. "You did great today. Sorry for being so sudden, but you said your Quirk lets you change the composition of gases in your lungs, right?"

"Oh, thank you! You did well, too. And yeah, that's how it works. I breathe out carbon dioxide like everyone else, but sometimes other things come out without thinking. I've been studying gases so I can control what I exhale, though. If I think about what I need, I don't have a problem controlling it." Mallory offered Momo her little book, which she had been holding after putting her costume away. "I write it all down in here."

Momo accepted it, skimming the pages, with Toru and Hanta peering over her shoulder. Of course, it was all in English, so Mallory explained further. "I write down the atoms a gas is made of and all its properties, like if it's flammable or heavier than air, and what effects it has when inhaled. I also have to note how many parts per million I can use before a gas becomes deadly."

"Deadly?" Hanta yelped.

Before she could reply, Momo closed the book and handed it back to her. "Well, of course. Most gases are deadly when the concentration is high enough, or if someone is exposed for too long. Sometimes a person won't even get side effects until hours later."

Hanta looked green again. "Th-That's scary, man!"

Mallory's face fell, and her heart dropped to her stomach. _I know, _she thought bitterly, and swallowed. "I'm sorry. I swear I'm really careful with it."

Momo, reading her crestfallen expression, quickly interjected. "I can tell. It must be hard to manage a Quirk that can be so dangerous. It's impressive." She shot Hanta a disapproving look, and he sheepishly moved away. She returned her gaze to Mallory and added, "I have my own book that helps me use my Quirk."

Recalling that she indeed had one as part of her costume, Mallory gratefully accepted the distraction. "Oh, yeah! I didn't see you read it, though. But your Quirk is awesome. You made those steel beams straight from your skin!"

It was Momo's turn to be embarrassed, holding a hand to her red cheek. "Thank you. My Quirk lets me manipulate atoms, too, so maybe we can compare notes?"

Amazed, Mallory barely suppressed an excited shout. "I'd love to!"

The day continued to pass uneventfully, and soon the sun was beginning to set as Mallory drifted from Momo to familiarize herself with her classmates. Eventually she stood with a small crowd around Yuga's desk, listening as everyone discussed the combat training.

"I'm kind of embarrassed at how fast Tinker took me down," Eijiro admitted, scratching his head. "I thought I had it in the bag."

Feeling a flush of pride, Mallory stood a little straighter. "Well, it's good that you were confident about it. I was so nervous, I kept worrying about how dumb I'd look if the anaesthesia didn't work."

"It was awesome!" Mina chirped. "I mean, it was like you had total control of the situation! Anyone would've passed out there."

Before she could thank her properly, Mallory felt a sneeze coming. "Tha-Thank y- Achoo!" She turned her head away from everyone just in time before white gas billowed from her nose and mouth, reeking of rotten eggs. Embarrassed, her whole face turned red as she desperately fanned it away.

"Eww, what _is _that?" Minoru complained, covering his nose.

"I'm so sorry!" she gasped, horrified. "Something weird comes out every time I sneeze. I can't really help it. Um, I think that was just sulfur, though, and it's not dangerous. It just smells bad."

Much to her relief, everyone burst into laughter. She relaxed slightly, not feeling any maliciousness from them.

_Everyone here is so wonderful, _she thought as she resumed the conversation, giggling as Yuga commented that her Quirk and costume were the complete opposite of his in terms of flair, but neat nonetheless.

The next day was abuzz before she could even enter the school, because the media was swarming the gates. Mallory was so surprised and nervous to see the press that she was left standing across the way from them for several minutes, until she heard the warning bell ring across campus. Well, she couldn't stay there forever.

"Ex-Excuse me!" she stammered as she pushed her way through the crowd, trying not to step on anyone's toes or knock a camera out of someone's hands. "I have to get to class, so please-!"

"Wait!" A young woman in a blue suit grabbed her shoulder, making her jump. "We just want a word on All Might. Are you in the hero course? What's it like to have All Might as a teacher?"

The woman shoved a microphone into her face and Mallory sucked in a breath, holding it to avoid exhaling something unpleasant as she was overwhelmed by the attention. A camera was uncomfortably close to her as well, and she scrambled to answer to get away from them.

"Um, well, it's really cool," she said quietly. "I mean, I'm American, so I don't know a lot of pro heroes here, so it feels really special to be taught by a hero that I know. He's really nice, and I really need to go!" With that, she scrambled through the remaining people and dashed into U.A.

She just barely made it in time for class, and sunk heavily into her seat with a sigh.

"Tinker-kun! There's a thin line between being just on time and being late! Don't start taking it easy now that we're a few days into the term." Tenya was as energetic as ever as he reprimanded her, but after hearing him talk like that several times, she didn't feel as intimidated by it as she had when they first met.

"It's not my fault. The press out front made it hard to get in," she complained, and Ochaco nodded sympathetically.

"Yeah, the crowd is huge! I guess that's what happens when you're a top hero."

Mallory sighed. "They seem harder to deal with than I thought. The top hero in America just eats that stuff up like it's nothing." She cringed slightly, recalling the smug and irritating Captain Celebrity that made the whole country look bad.

Ochaco opened her mouth to ask, but just then Mr. Aizawa entered, and quickly announced an election for student representative. Many of the class jumped up, hands raised high as they vied to be class rep, but Mallory was confused. "Class rep?" she wondered aloud.

"Yeah. It's like being the leader of the class," Ochaco explained. "Do American schools not have student councils?"

"They do, but I've never heard of each class having a representative."

Tenya interrupted them, proposing a voting process to the whole class, but Mallory wasn't sure what to do. She had no interest in class leadership, but she didn't know anyone very well. Tenya certainly had the discipline, but she still thought he was a little scary. She looked around the class and spotted Momo with her hand raised.

She didn't know Momo better than anyone else, but she felt a bit of commonality with her. Their Quirks were somewhat similar in nature, after all, and they had a really nice conversation the other day. She seemed really smart and confident, too. Mallory decided to vote for her.

Her vote left Izuku and Momo tied, creating a stir as the class decided what to do. Mallory was a bit surprised that Izuku was voted on. He didn't come across as someone with strong leadership skills. Before there could be a solution, the bell rang.

"Homeroom's over," Mr. Aizawa announced, begrudgingly getting out of his sleeping bag. "You can figure things out after lunch." With that, he shambled out of the room. Mallory hoped he'd be able to catch up on sleep.

Lunch followed after a few classes, and after grabbing some food, she opted to sit with Momo at the end of a table, across from Kyouka. Of course, she liked most everyone so far, but she was trying to stay as far away from Katsuki as possible, who was near Eijiro and Tsuyu again.

"I voted for you, Momo-chan," Mallory offered shyly. "You're really smart and collected, so I think you'd make a good fit."

Momo straightened with a warm smile. "Thank you, Tinker-san! I'm happy to hear it."

After a small pause, Kyouka spoke up. "Hey, you're American, aren't you?" she asked, and Mallory nodded.

Kyouka grinned. "Do you think you could help me with English? I've been trying to follow along in class, but I've already been way off a couple times. Think I can ask for your help if it gets harder?" She reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone, offering it to the redhead. "What do you say?"

Mallory was speechless. No one had ever asked her for help in a class before, and such a simple request gave her the warmest feeling. She felt her chest swell, and she smiled from ear to ear, perhaps reacting more energetically than necessary.

"If you'll help me with kanji, sure!"

"Deal." Kyouka passed over the phone, and Mallory eagerly entered her number and email.

"Actually, Tinker-san." Now Mashirao, who sat beside Kyouka, spoke. He held up his own phone, seeming a bit embarrassed. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask the same thing. English is one of my worst subjects."

Mallory was positively glowing, amazed that she had been asked for help not once, but twice! _Is this how a hero feels? _she wondered in amusement, obliging Mashirao's request.

A small conversation began about where she was from shortly thereafter. "Billings, the biggest city in Montana," she explained after Momo asked. "Montana is one of the largest states, but has one of the smallest populations; just a little over a million. Billings only has a hundred thousand people there."

"Tokyo must've been a huge shock, then," Kyouka said, and Mallory nodded.

"It really was. I don't think I left the house for months, even with my Japanese tutor!" Everyone laughed at that, and Mallory wasn't sure she had ever felt so much delight around classmates.

Suddenly, an alarm bell went off, making her jump. A brief silence fell on the students as they processed the high, loud ringing, but then chaos quickly ensued.

"Wh-What is that?" Mallory cried, frightened as she stood up.

"It's a security alarm." Momo's voice was cool yet urgent as she jumped to her feet.

"A _what?"_

By now, students were racing down the hallway, and in her panic Mallory began to follow them, pounding at the heels of her classmates. Soon she lost sight of her peers, and was getting horribly pressed between other students.

"W-Wait! Stop!" she yelped, surrounded by taller people as everyone raced to see what was happening. She could barely see in the massive crowd, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. Without realizing, a sickly yellow-green color started to permeate the air with a harsh odor.

Someone beside her coughed. "What is that? Bleach?" he gasped.

Horrified, Mallory clamped her hands over her mouth. She was so worked up that she started to exhale chlorine, likely drawing on her desire to have more room. Her Quirk sometimes reacted to her wants, but it never had a good outcome.

_Focus! _she told herself, and concentrated on her lungs. She pictured the molecules of air inside her, scattered throughout uncountable bronchioles, and visualized carbon and oxygen atoms joining and flowing up her trachea. It was always hard to become self conscious of her breathing, but it was even harder to exhale normally when she was being jostled around, everyone clamoring for answers. Her panic at the thought of being attacked and the pressure surrounding her was quickly growing uncontrollable as she struggled not to hurt anyone, and her body started to feel weak while her hands itched terribly.

Mallory couldn't help it. She began to cry, everyone oblivious to the secondary danger they were in. _Something bad might come out. I can't let that happen, not again, _she lamented inwardly, tears streaming down her face.

"Everybody, calm down!"

A voice boomed down the hallway, silencing everyone immediately. Mallory craned her neck, but was barely able to see. Yet she knew the distinct voice of Tenya, which became clearer as he explained the situation. She didn't dare breathe, even as a collective sigh of relief echoed in the hallway as he revealed that the alarm was only because of the media. There was no danger.

_I was a danger, though, _she thought bitterly, and recoiled in shame as he continued to say that, as U.A. students, everyone should have reacted better. She knew that. She knew that too well. She had gone to U.A. to learn to control herself, to use her Quirk for good, but she had crumbled so instantly. Maybe she could have understood that the term had just started, so of course she wasn't able to handle her Quirk, but from what she had seen almost all of her peers had fine tuned their abilities and were composed when using them. Mallory was not one of them, and in that moment, she became distinctly aware of the huge divide between her and her experienced classmates.

The massive crowd slowly moved back to the cafeteria to collect their things, and Mallory hung her head low as she shuffled back to the table. Everyone was uneasy, but most were sitting back down to resume their meals. Instead, Mallory gathered her food and bag and left, throwing her lunch away and putting away the tray. She lost her appetite.

"Tinker-san?" She could hear Momo call after her, but couldn't bear to turn around. Mallory instead trudged into an empty hallway and dug out her phone, punching in a number with trembling fingers. It was late, but needed to hear her voice.

"Hello? Mallory?"

Relief flooded through her. "Aunt Sandra…" she sniffed, eyes stinging with tears. "I - I did it again."

Her aunt inhaled sharply. "What happened?" she demanded worriedly. "What did you do?"

Mallory explained as best she could, crouching in the empty corridor and crying softly. When she was done, her aunt sighed.

"Oh, baby, it's okay," Sandra said comfortingly, her voice warm and soft. "I know how hard it is for you, but I know you'll figure out how to control your Quirk. You're in good hands at U.A. You just started classes, so don't beat yourself up over it. You'll get better."

"I could've hurt someone," Mallory protested weakly. "If the parts per million were high enough, someone would've died just from taking a few breaths."

"I know, honey, I know," her aunt cooed. "But everything is okay now, right? No one's hurt?"

"Uh-huh." She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "But Aunt Sandra, what if I can't do this?"

She could hear the pain in her aunt's voice as she tried to reassure her, wracking Mallory with guilt. "I _know _you can, Mallory. You have an amazing Quirk, and you're so smart and talented. I know it's dangerous, I know it's scary, but I know how useful it is, too. You'll save lives with it, I promise. You just started class the other day, didn't you? So don't get yourself worked up. Your uncle and I believe in you, Mallory. You'll be a great hero."

She choked back a sob and wiped at her eyes. Sandra was right, of course, and she was starting to feel foolish for falling apart so easily. "I'm sorry," she said in a hoarse voice. "I just...I got so scared."

"It's alright, honey. I understand," Sandra whispered. "Aw, I wish I could just hug you now. Your uncle isn't here, but I'll have him text you later, okay?"

"Okay."

Just then, the bell rang, and Mallory straightened. "I have to go back to class now. Thanks, Aunt Sandra. I love you."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should go to the nurse?"

"No, I'm sure. I don't want to miss anything."

"Alright then. Just call again if you need me any time, alright? Or your uncle. I love you, too, baby. Stay safe."

She hung up the phone, and Mallory put it away just as students started to enter the hall to get to class. She kept her head down, feeling uneasy with the knowledge that she had the ability to incapacitate - no, to _kill _\- the people around her, and it was as easy as breathing. It was too easy for her to hurt people, and she sullenly mourned the fact that her Quirk made her more suitable to villainy rather than heroism.

"Tinker-san, are you okay?" Momo asked worriedly when she finally trudged back to class, dragging her feel and keeping her head low. Mallory's throat felt dry as she lied through her teeth, taking her seat.

"Yeah, I just went to the nurse. I hurt my ankle in the rush. It's all better now, though."

Momo didn't seem sure, but was called to stand at the front of the class with Izuku to settle the matter on who would be president. Surprisingly, Izuku offered the position to Tenya, who earned more votes than Momo in a quick poll, demoting her to vice president. However, Mallory laid her head on the desk and didn't participate.

**AN: Poor Mallory. PLEASE give me feedback on this chapter because I was actually pretty stuck on it and I don't feel too good about it. Nevertheless I hope it was enjoyable. Look forward to the USJ Incident!**

**You can also find me on Archive of Our Own and Wattpad with the same username, or on deviantART under PuresDreamyWorld!**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	11. USJ

Mallory felt a bit better the next day after some rest. Leaking dangerous gas was unacceptable, but it was true that she hadn't hurt anyone and that she was still in training, so for now it was at least forgivable. She would do better going forward, and after talking to her tutor, she was reminded that she was no longer alone. Her teachers were pro heroes, after all; even though she bore the shame of unintentionally using her Quirk, she could find the guidance she desperately needed at U.A. But first, she needed to find the courage to admit her weakness to more people.

The morning classes proceeded as normal, but it was the afternoon that really excited her. When Mr. Aizawa announced that the subject of the day's hero course was rescue, Mallory felt a renewed urge of excitement. Sure she wasn't strong enough to lift fallen buildings, and she didn't have a Quirk that made it easier to find people, but she was still useful for this. She could withstand smoke inhalation better than most people, and was already CPR certified to coincide with her ability to give people oxygen directly. She needed this exercise desperately, to prove to herself that she deserved to be here.

Despite Mr. Aizawa saying the costumes weren't necessary, it was out of the question for her. The tank and mask were a security blanket, to ensure that she wouldn't use too much gas. And besides, if they ended up in a fire scenario, it was critical that she had a means to stay in the midst of flames for as long as possible.

"Tinker-kun! Everyone else is ready to leave already," Iida admonished as she jogged over to the bus after putting on her costume. It seemed everyone else had donned their exciting new outfits as well.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped as she ducked inside, quickly taking a seat beside Shoto, who was dozing.

Mallory glanced at him, wishing she could talk to him about the combat training the other day, but she wasn't sure what to say. Maybe she was a bit bothered by the fact he didn't let her do anything, but All Might _did _give her a chance to go again. She didn't think Shoto had ignored her out of maliciousness, but she wondered what he felt about what happened. Did he feel guilty? Did he even care? As she secured the tubes attached to her tank and wrist, she held back a sigh. She hoped she could understand him better in the future, after they spent more time together as classmates.

She stayed out of everyone's conversations as the bus rumbled along, lost in her own thoughts and growing nerves. More than stopping villains, she yearned to be an efficient rescue hero. She wanted to save people without risk, without worrying that she would hurt someone. With her Quirk, it was just too easy to kill a villain, even if she only wanted to incapacitate one. Her immunity to dangerous fumes was valuable, no matter how limited it was, and she desperately wanted to use that to her advantage.

Mallory _could _be a hero...couldn't she? She glanced over at Shoto again, then looked out to her classmates. Everyone was so eager, so excited, so sure. Did any of them have doubts in their abilities? It didn't seem so, and it made her feel like the odd one out, despite the kindness her peers had shown her thus far. Would such acceptance continue if they knew just how hard her Quirk was to deal with?

Her eyes wandered to her teacher as he stood, telling them to quiet down as they approached a massive dome. In hindsight, Mr. Aizawa hadn't expelled her after the Quirk assessment, so didn't that mean he saw potential in her? She wanted to know desperately, though she also felt selfish. Mrs. Maki and her aunt and uncle supported her so sincerely, and All Might had been encouraging thus far, but she didn't feel satisfied yet. She wanted to hear outright from a professional that she had what it took. That her Quirk, despite its dangers, was useful, and something the world needed to be a better place. To be told that was all she could ask for.

She hopped off the bus, surprised to be greeted by a person in what resembled an astronaut suit.

"It's Thirteen!" Midoriya gasped excitedly, and the others seemed just as stunned, but Mallory had no idea who this person was. He definitely seemed popular, at least.

Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the massive facility. Inside the impressive structure were even more domes, containing an exciting environment inside, and between them were large expanses of water and staged disasters. It was a lot to take in, and Mallory wasn't sure where to start. The dome with a flame design caught her eye, but before she could think about a fire exercise, Thirteen began to speak.

He called the facility the USJ, and told everyone about his Quirk. Something like Black Hole sounded incredibly powerful and dangerous. With that kind of Quirk...wasn't it incredibly-?

"It is a power that can kill easily."

Mallory jumped, eyes bulging as he confirmed her thoughts. She held no illusions of grandeur that she was the only person with a deadly Quirk, but she didn't expect to meet someone similar to her in that moment.

"Some of you also have Quirks like that, right?"

His words made her heart stop, and a wave of cold dread froze her to the bone. She felt singled out, powerless, helpless. She frantically looked around, but no one was looking at her. Her hands were trembling and horribly itchy, and every one of her nerves were shot. Her stomach tumbled endlessly, and blood roared in her ears as her heart pounded.

_Yes, that's right, _she thought, dizzy. She felt like she was being suffocated under his words, wallowing in guilt and fear. Her vision tunneled, and Mallory was more than tempted to turn around and run from the terrible truth. If only she could keep her knees from shaking!

_I never wanted this Quirk. But I want to find a purpose for it._

"This class is a fresh start. You shall learn how to use your Quirks to save people's lives. You do not have powers so you can harm others. I hope you leave here with the understanding that you have powers in order to help others."

Thirteen's voice remained calm, but Mallory didn't miss his glance as she bit her tongue hard to keep her woes to herself, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. She didn't know if he already knew about everyone's Quirks ahead of time, but he certainly didn't know her circumstances, so she felt morbidly embarrassed to be seen falling apart so easily.

_I want to help people. Please, oh please let me help people._

There was a shadow in the corner of her eye, and she turned to see Mr. Aizawa close to her. Without looking at her, he reached into his pocket and offered her a handkerchief. She was at the back of the group and a bit apart from the others, so it seemed that only the teachers noticed. Mallory quickly accepted it and dabbed at her eyes, grateful for the gesture. She didn't want to talk about why Thirteen moved her so. Maybe they could even guess why, seeing as they were adults. But she was just glad to be told that they were there to learn.

_That's right; I have teachers now, _she thought, catching her breath as she returned the handkerchief to Mr. Aizawa. _They'll help me, right? Especially Thirteen. He would understand, wouldn't he? But if I told him, would he still think that I can be a hero?_

Feeling calmer now, she sighed. Mr. Aizawa looked at her briefly, as though asking how she was, and she nodded slightly. Her heart still felt close to bursting, but she had to focus now. Thirteen's words were too close to comfort, but he sounded confident when he said everyone could use their Quirks to help people, and she desperately needed to hear that. She hoped to talk to Thirteen privately about her situation soon, but right now, she wanted to prove that he was right.

Just then, the lights went out, dimming the inside and leaving only the sunlight to shine through. Mallory glanced up, wondering why they turned them off when Mr. Aizawa suddenly shouted, "Gather together and don't move! Thirteen, protect the students!"

She turned to her teacher, startled by his urgency, which was scaring her. She followed his gaze to the center courtyard and gasped. A thick wall of black and purple was there now, and people were walking out of it. Were they pro heroes? Oh, no, she wouldn't be able to withstand an audience. Then Mr. Aizawa yelled again, and her stomach seized as she watched him put on goggles. What was going on…?

"Those are villains."

His quiet declaration knocked the wind out of her. Mallory didn't dare to breathe as anxiety turned to raw fear as more and more people - _villains _\- walked into the USJ. If it weren't for her mask set to filter what she was exhaling, she would have surely been unable to stop herself from hyperventilating something dangerous. She couldn't even think as she took in the sight of countless people spread out in front of her, all of them ready and willing to do harm. She didn't have the faintest idea of what to do, and could only cower.

Everyone's worried words were drowned out by the ringing in her ears as her body screamed at her to flee. She was dimly aware of Mr. Aizawa preparing to fight, but there was no way he and Thirteen could hold off all those villains, especially when there were so many students to protect. All Mallory could think to do was run, run and get help. But, damn it, her legs just wouldn't work!

Mr. Aizawa suddenly leapt into the thick of it, and she choked back a horrified scream. He moved quickly and efficiently, using his scarf to grab and throw villains into each other with ease. A small part of her was awestruck to witness a pro hero in action, but she was still sick with worry for him. Would he really be okay?

"Tinker-san!" A hand grabbed her shoulder, snapping her from her thoughts. She whirled around to see Mashirao, his voice stern and urgent. "We have to go!"

His words finally pushed her into motion. She followed him hurriedly, still quaking. But she had to keep running. She had to get out of there with everyone and get help-!

Suddenly, their path was blocked by a wall of black mist, and from it rose a vague frame of a large man, peering at them with large, yellow eyes.

"Greetings," he rumbled, his voice deep and sinister. "We are the League of Villains. Pardon us, but we have taken the liberty of infiltrating the USJ to kill All Might. I believe All Might should have been here. Has there been some kind of change? Well, no matter. This is the role I have to play."

Eijiro and Katsuki lunged at him, and she couldn't muffle a clipped cry of, "Stop!" Were they crazy?! They were just students! They couldn't fight a villain!

There was a pause, and Mallory squinted into the smoke left by Katsuki's blast. It was reckless, but...had they done it?

"Oh, dear. That was dangerous." No, the mist collected again, and the villain was still there, perfectly fine. "That's right. Even if you are students, you have the potential to be pro heroes. I mustn't forget myself. I'll continue my duty, to send you all to your deaths!"

The mist wrapped around them in a gale, whipping her hair back and chilling her to the bone. She shut her eyes against the maelstrom, terrified, and her stomach was filled with butterflies. She felt weightless for a moment, and when she opened her eyes, all she saw was black. Mallory quickly shut them again and screamed, and just as quickly as the darkness engulfed her, she crumpled to the floor.

Heat raked over her face now, and she took in her surroundings with a horrified gasp. She was surrounded by flames that spilled from a labyrinth of buildings into the street, and thick smoke stung her eyes. Inhaling it was not an issue, but as she scrambled to her feet, her eyes were already teary and aching.

"Where…?" she wondered aloud, her voice quiet. All she could hear was the cackling of fire, and she was at a complete loss for a moment. Being thrown into a burning city made no sense! There couldn't be a huge area on fire like this with no one around!

But then she recalled the fire dome she had seen earlier, and realized that she was probably warped inside of it. The villain had said he was going to kill them, but not only was she not bothered by the smoke thanks to her mask, but there had to be a way out as well. The structure looked large, but she was sure she'd be able to leave if she stuck to the perimeter. Maybe the heat and smoke would be less oppressive at the edge as well.

Mallory was still terrified, and she wasn't sure what she'd do when she got out, but she couldn't stay there, either. She began to walk down the street, straining to hear or see anyone. If she wasn't the only student here, her classmates would need her help, but she was too frightened to shout for anyone. Maybe if she just found a building that wasn't burning, she could take refuge there and hide out until the teachers arrived. She groaned inwardly, her head spinning as she changed the setting on her gas mask to freely release whatever she breathed out. She had so many paths to take, and she didn't know which choice was best. What was she supposed to do?

She hugged herself as she marched on, attentive to sights and sounds around her. She had to stay on her guard, no matter what. She had to focus.

"Everything will be okay," Mallory murmured to herself. Just then, a chill raced down her spine, and the hair on her arms stood up. Her eyes widened and she whirled around, but saw nothing. Still, she couldn't shake the horrible feeling that she was being watched.

Her hands began to tremble when it finally occurred to her to look up, just in time to see a body plummeting straight towards her.

With a yelp, she just barely dodged, the asphalt splitting and ground shaking as a massive man landed just where she had been. Mallory was terrified. He...he would have crushed her...he would have killed her! She felt weak kneed at the realization that, indeed, these villains were out to shed blood.

The villain growled low in his chest, regarding her with cold, beady eyes. He had a face similar to a lion's, and a muzzle covered his drooling maw as he bared a row of fangs at her.

"Easy prey," he hissed in delight, flashing his claws.

She had to fight…. No, she didn't have the power to fight. She only had the ability to hurt.

"Stay...Stay away," she said hoarsely. "I could hurt you."

The man howled with laughter. _"You? _Hurt _me? _Ha! Those are some pathetic last words, kid!" Then, he charged, and all Mallory could do was exhale as she stumbled backwards.

Maybe he didn't notice the cloud of red-brown gas that came towards him because of the fire and smoke, or maybe he just didn't care. Either way, he quickly succumbed to the concentrated bromine, stopping abruptly and gasping for air. He let out a strangled sound, then fell to his knees as his respiratory system was assaulted, while sores rapidly festered on his arms. Mallory watched for a moment, horrified, but realized there was no time. He was in an open environment, so he would hopefully be okay, but she couldn't stick around and check. She spun on her heel and ran, pelting through the streets as tears streamed down her cheeks.

_I'm so sorry! Please be okay, _she thought desperately, hoping he wouldn't suffocate. So long as that villain moved away, he would probably get by, but she did hope that he would be struggling for air too much to chase her.

However, she was still wracked with terror as she headed for the perimeter. Just how many villains were here? Could she hide from them? Could she hold them back long enough for help to arrive?

**Hooray! We've made it to the climax! Hope you enjoyed! Please look forward to the next chapter!**

**You can also find me on Archive of Our Own and Wattpad with the same username, or on deviantART as PuresDreamyWorld.**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	12. Fighting Back

Mallory pounded down the street, her steps heavy as she trudged on. Her breathing was ragged, and her legs threatened to give, but she kept going, tears streaming down her face from the smoke. She cursed the gas tank on her back, bouncing and clanking with every movement, but she couldn't stop. She had to find a way out, before any other villain could come after her.

After knocking out that first villain, everything had been eerily quiet, which only heightened her fear. They could be watching, waiting, prepared to jump from the roofs and crush her.

No! She couldn't let her thoughts wander. She had to focus on getting to an exit, and prepare for the worst. She glanced at her wrist, seeing that the green light was on. She switched the dial on her gas mask to stop exhaling into her tank. If worse came to worse, she would use a thick cloud of bromine to escape, although she was terrified of the consequences.

She rounded a bend, and crashed into something - no, she didn't collide with something hard and metal. She had run into some_one._

Before she could even yelp something collided with her head, almost too fast to see, and she was sent sprawling to the ground, hitting the pavement on her side. She wheezed, the air knocked out of her, but she desperately scrambled to her feet and backpedaled in fright.

"St-Stay back!" she cried, her hand clutching the dial on her gas mask. She was panting from the impact of the blow, and she felt dizzy. But she couldn't let her guard down.

"Tinker-san?"

Startled to hear her name, she blinked to clear her vision, and looked into his astonished face with equal surprise. "Ojiro-kun!" she gasped. "You're here, too?"

He dropped his defensive stance and nodded curtly. "Yeah. I haven't seen anyone else except for villains, though. I thought I was the only one."

Suddenly, a bellowing voice cut through the cackle of flames, making Mallory's blood run cold. "He went this way!"

Mashirao looked to her sharply, grabbing her wrist. "Come on!"

They ran briefly for a moment, but the sound of her gas tank clanging against her back made it clear that they did not have the means to be discreet. He regarded her with a grim expression over his shoulder, but before she could apologize he yanked her into a low building, and they darted into a windowless hall out of sight of the glass doors.

The two paused, catching their breath, then Mallory groaned in despair. "I'm so sorry, Ojiro-kun. I - I don't know what to do. I'm scared. We can't lose them with my gear. We should split-"

"Hey." Mashirao cut her off, and smiled kindly. "I'm not leaving you behind. Heroes don't do that."

She hadn't even considered their status as U.A. students since being teleported to the fire dome, but she wasn't reassured. "We've barely even started! I can't do this. I can't."

He put a hand on her shoulder, commanding her attention. "Maybe not alone, but we'll figure something out. We just have to hold on until the pros get here."

Mallory took a deep breath, struggling to bring her tremors under control. She was terrified, but she knew panicking wouldn't help. Mashirao's presence and words let her reign in her emotions, and she swallowed. He was right; they needed a plan.

But she feared how she could handle having a teammate. "O-Okay. Um...how many villains are here?"

"No idea," he replied with a frown. "When I got here, I was surrounded. But I got away, and now they're split up looking for me. I took out a few with surprise attacks, but you can't be stealthy. What have you done so far?"

Just hearing his situation twisted her stomach into knots, but she tried desperately to push aside her anxiety. "I've only run into one villain," she admitted. Then, she was struck with an idea.

"My tank!" she exclaimed. "I filled it with bromine. It suffocates people. I could make a pretty decent cloud with what I have. I guess maybe I could...draw them in, or something, and you could cover me…." She trailed off, realizing that she was volunteering to put herself in danger, and that chilled her to the bone.

Mashirao's expression tightened. "No, that's too risky for you."

"But I can't hide like you can. What else can I do except bait them?" _What am I saying? Am I crazy? _she thought.

"You can't replace it with smoke or something?"

She shook her head. "Even if I could switch out one gas for another, I can't make smoke because it's not a pure gas. I can only make gas in its rawest form."

He mulled it over carefully, but then they heard someone say, "They went this way!" outside, and he nodded as the footsteps pounded past.

"I guess we're out of time. Let's run out the back, and I'll scale the building and jump down on anyone that goes for you."

Mallory started shaking again, but she knew it was their best option. If they stayed in an enclosed space to lure villains in, Mashirao could succumb to the gas, and even she wouldn't be able to completely avoid the effects.

"Oh! Wait, before we go." She reached behind her and unhooked a gas mask that only covered the nose and mouth, and held it up to his face. "You'll need this. Bromine is pretty potent, but I...I'm scared. I want to use something that will incapacitate the villains right away."

He nodded. "I understand."

He held still as she secured the gas mask against his face, feeling a wash of grief. "You'll need to get away as soon as you can. It'll agitate your eyes, and it causes chemical burns...I'm sorry." She paused, her fingers brushing his cheeks, and regarded him with a pained expression.

"Wait, won't the same thing happen to you since you'll be caught up in the gas?" he asked.

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Guess I didn't think it through very well. But it's fine."

"No it's not!" he insisted. "We should use something else-"

"There's no time," she lamented. "It's already in the tank, and they'll find us if we don't hurry. I'll need to release it anyway, and I know it'll stop them in their tracks. They'll be trying to stay away from it, so we have to…."

She paused and hung her head, dropping her hands. "If I knew you were here, I would have used something safe. I never intended to put you in danger." She was holding back tears now, feeling herself unraveling. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt a friend. More than anything else in the world, she didn't want to hurt someone she cared about.

Mashirao grabbed her shoulders again, giving them a firm squeeze. When she looked up, she noticed the sweat beading his brow, the concern etched into his features. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault that we're in this mess, Tinker-san. But we'll get out of it, together."

She paused. In that moment, she registered his own fear, and felt ashamed of herself for doing nothing to reassure him in the way he had to her. She had to stop thinking of only herself. She was pursuing professional heroism, after all. Now was the time to prove that she was worthy of being a U.A. student.

Bolstered by his words, she took a deep breath and attempted to borrow from his courage. Mallory had to step up now, for both their sakes. "Okay." Her voice was cool, and she looked him straight in the eye.

He helped her to her feet, and they ran down the hallway. It took them to a back exit, and Mashirao slowly pushed the door open, keeping it quiet. They were looking out into an alley, a brick building directly across from them. He peeked around the corner and strained his ears, but saw and heard nothing. He gestured to Mallory, and they slowly moved back into the open.

"I'll follow you," Mashirao promised in a low voice, and she nodded. She then watched him scale the fire escape of the brick building, and when his tail disappeared from the edge of the roof, she trudged back onto the street. It occurred to her at that moment that stalling until help arrived was their best option, for if they found an exit, there could still be villains in USJ. The thought made her shudder.

_So I just have to wait? _Mallory felt the weight of fear pressed firmly on her, but the fact remained that this was their best plan for attack. She was dimly comforted by Mashirao's company, but the fact remained that, were he to get in the crossfire of her Quirk, he wouldn't be unscathed. As she slowly walked down the sidewalk to avoid making noise, she bitterly wondered what kind of hero couldn't help but to hurt her allies in the pursuit of justice.

Everything was quiet, for a moment. She was walking back the way she had come from, since they had heard villains run past their hiding spot. It was agonizing to take such small steps, but if any villain with a hearing Quirk picked up on the sound of her gas tank clanging against her armor, she could be surrounded in a moment.

_Is everyone else safe? _The sudden thought froze her in place. This whole time, she hadn't once thought about her other classmates. Everyone must have been in a similar situation, scattered about the USJ and fighting villains. Her peers were probably just as scared as she was. They could be hurt...or worse.

It was overwhelming. She was flooded with anxiety and despair that almost knocked her off her feet. No, she didn't know any of them very well. But she _wanted _to, with maddening desperation. She wanted to learn and grow beside them. She wanted their companionship. She wanted to be a hero with them.

"Tinker-san?" Mashirao's voice sounded so far away, echoing in her head. She had to think of herself and the person with her. She knew that. She had to focus. She knew that. But she couldn't. She was scared and she was pathetic and she wanted to hide.

"Tinker-san!" she heard him call for her more urgently. But Mallory still couldn't move. She couldn't help their situations, but could even help her own? Could she protect Mashirao? Could she be useful to him at all? Could she be useful to _anyone _as a classmate, as a student, as a hero?

"_Tinker-san!"_

Mallory was slammed into the ground, her face colliding with pavement. Her head spun as pain shot up her jaw, and she felt splinters of her gas mask scrape her cheeks. Blood filled her mouth, and she felt it slide down her throat as she gasped for air. A massive hand was tangled in her hair, pulling on her curls and forcing her neck upwards.

She looked into the dark eyes of a villain, full of malice and bloodlust. He grinned and growled, "Found you."

"Let her go!"

Mallory's ears were ringing. Her head was spinning. All she could register was pain and fear. Her arms felt like sand as she feebly tried to claw at the villain's arm, but his grip only tightened, squeezing her.

Beneath the pounding in her head, she heard a rush of footsteps, and Mashirao cried out in pain. Her eyes widened.

_Is this my fault? _she wondered in her deteriorating consciousness. _It's fine if it's me, but please not him. Don't hurt anyone but me._

Her eyes drifted to the equipment on her wrist. No...no, maybe not everything was lost just yet.

With a grunt of effort, she hit the button on her left wrist. The familiar hissing sound filled the air as sickly red-brown gas quickly encompassed her surroundings.

"What-?!" The villain released her, and she caught herself before her face could hit the ground again. She could hear people coughing harshly, cries of mixed surprise and pain. "What is this?" the villain demanded, stumbling away from her.

Mallory's legs felt like lead, and in her delirious agony she forgot to hold her breath. The gas stung her eyes and burned her nose, and she could hear the sizzle of flesh crumbling away, although she wasn't sure if it was hers.

In the next instant she was hauled to her feet and pulled away, her arm slung over someone's shoulders. She looked up to see Mashirao, his face stony with concentration as they escaped.

"Ojiro-kun," she gasped, and started to cough. She was crying, and the tears stung the cuts and burns on her cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry! Just focus on running away!" he retorted, voice muffled by his gas mask.

She did her best to keep up with his pace, but kept stumbling. Mallory hurt all over, and she was dizzy from the attack. Adrenaline was seeping out of her, and she was losing her strength. She didn't know how much longer she would last. But she didn't want to slow Mashirao down, nor did she want to die, so she pressed forward even as her body screamed for her to stop.

"You bitch!"

She looked behind her, horrified to see villains charging at them, their flesh festering, their eyes bloodshot, their breaths short and wheezy. A part of her was relieved she hadn't killed them, but she knew that, in exchange, she was going to die.

"Damn it!" Mashirao sounded pained as he quickly pushed her away, turning to face their attacks. She saw blotches of red on his tail, and realized that he had suffered chemical burns as well. "Tinker-san, run!"

But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything. _No...no, I can't abandon Ojiro-kun! _She wanted to scream, but she could do absolutely nothing. She could only watch in horror as villains charged him.

_I'm so sorry, Ojiro-kun...I'm so sorry, everyone. Peter…._

Suddenly, she felt a great tremor underneath her, and the ground exploded between them and the villains. Mashirao was thrown back, but quickly leapt to his feet. A cacophony of cracking shook the air as the pavement split apart, large chunks of asphalt slamming into the villains or pinning them. From the epicenter erupted a massive metal suit, a shirtless man seated inside. Mallory was spinning with confusion, but Mashirao spoke up.

"Power Loader!" he shouted, relieved.

The man turned, his head covered by an excavator claw. "You got it. I'm sorry it took so long. You kiddos did a good job."

**Poor Mallory :( Shout out to Mashirao for being the MVP though. Once again please leave me your thoughts, and thank you for reading! Stay tuned for next time!**

**You can also find me on Archive of Our Own and Wattpad with the same username, or on deviantART as PuresDreamyWorld.**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	13. Aftermath

In a flash, everyone was unconscious or incapacitated, coughing from the bromine and dust. Mallory couldn't believe how fast it was. All this time, she had been so scared she could vomit, had risked the health and safety of her classmate in a failed attempt to help him, and yet Power Loader made it seem so easy to save them. So much of her effort felt wasted. Maybe it would have been better if they had hid and waited. Maybe Mashirao wouldn't have been hurt that way.

She fell to her knees, overwhelmed by a maelstrom of relief, agony, and regret. "We're...saved?" she whispered hesitantly, then coughed, small drops of blood falling from her lips.

"Tinker-san!" Mashirao rushed to her side and knelt down, putting a hand on her back. He turned to Power Loader. "Where's the exit?"

He pointed behind them with a massive iron hand. "Just a couple blocks that way. Everyone else should be detaining the villains. Go get help; I'll stay here."

Mashirao nodded, and helped Mallory to her feet. "Come on, Tinker-san. Let's get out of here," he said gently, guiding her away.

It was quiet for a moment, but she could hear the crackling of flames and groans of pain mixed with wheezing behind them. Her head was pounding, and every step required a great deal of effort. Her breaths were short and shallow, and it felt like her mouth was on fire. Her nose was beginning to throb terribly, and she could feel her skin festering.

She kept her head low in shame, wanting to apologize again but in too much pain to do so. Mallory could think of nothing to reassure herself. Her biggest concern was the wellbeing of her peers.

"Thank you, Tinker-san."

Startled, she looked up. Mashirao was still wearing the gas mask, but she could tell that he was smiling. "You really saved us back there. Had you not bought us time, well...the worst would have happened." Now he turned to her, and she was rendered speechless by the sincerity in his eyes. "But we made it, and it's all thanks to you."

She wanted to cry. _Is that true? If I hadn't stopped...if I hadn't used bromine...if I had stayed calm…._

He had seemed to be doing fine before they ran into each other, so she couldn't fight back a biting feeling that she had done nothing for him. _I'm terrible, _she thought bitterly. _Maybe I wasn't cut out for this hero stuff after all._

They made it to the door, and Mashirao pushed it open. They were blinded by light, and Mallory winced. She became overwhelmed and couldn't walk any more, falling from Mashirao's grasp and crumbling to the ground. All of this was just too much for her.

"Tinker-san!" Mashirao sounded far away. Her head felt like it was going to burst, and she was scared of the blood she could taste on her tongue.

"Hey! I need help over here!" he cried, gently turning her head to the side. "You'll be okay, Tinker-san. Just take deep breaths. Help is coming."

She could feel herself sinking inward, and she barely had the strength to keep her eyes open. But she had to know that everyone else was alright.

"The others…." Mallory rasped. She couldn't pick herself up. It was just too hard, and she hurt too much. Every nerve in her body ached. "Are they...okay?"

"We'll find out together! So you have to stay awake!" He sounded so afraid as he tried to lift her, but she was nothing but dead weight, unable to move at all. "Please, someone, help!"

Mallory's stomach churned bitterly. She didn't want him to sound so afraid, and it made her feel guilty. "Ojiro-kun...how's your tail?"

"It's fine; don't worry about me! Just focus on staying awake."

A tear slid down her cheek, and she wordlessly slipped into unconsciousness.

"Other than the boy with both legs seriously injured, the girl that received a blow to the head, and the boy with the burns on his tail, everyone else seems relatively unharmed," Detective Tsukauchi said tersely, donning a tan overcoat and matching hat that hid his short dark hair. He smiled slightly. "That's pretty good, all things considered. You kids did well."

The students, standing outside the USJ, muttered amongst themselves for a moment as the villains were led onto busses to be sent to prison. For a moment they compared their experiences, unwinding from what had occurred. Then the Detective spoke up again.

"Let's have the students return to their classroom for now," he said to a nearby officer, loud enough for everyone to hear. "We won't be questioning them right away, right?"

Tsuyu hopped forward and asked worriedly, "What about Mr. Aizawa, or Mallory-chan?"

"Or Ojiro-kun?" Toru added. "He didn't look that bad, but the paramedics took him away…."

"But some villains had to leave in ambulances, too!" Hanta pointed out. "What the heck happened?"

The detective reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a phone, dialing a number. "One moment, please," he replied, then spoke into his phone. "How are the patients?"

From the other end, someone spoke. "In regards to Aizawa Shota; comminuted fractures in both arms and a facial fracture. Fortunately, there does not seem to be any permanent brain damage. However, his orbital floor has fractured into small pieces, and his eyes may suffer from its aftereffects.

"As for Mallory Tinker, she suffered a slight concussion and severe bruising of her nose, as well as small lacerations to her cheeks. She bit her tongue badly, too. Both she and Ojiro Mashirao have also suffered chemical burns to their skin. Mr. Ojiro said she used the gas bromine after her gas mask broke. Bromine is highly toxic and can cause irritation of the airways, so she's being monitored for throat and lung inflammation as well. Several villains had to be hospitalized from inhaling it."

The man on the phone paused, and Tsukauchi looked grim as he hung up. "That's what he said."

Stunned, Tsuyu could only croak with worry.

"Tinker did all that?" Eijiro said in amazement, his eyes wide. Tsukauchi could only nod.

"What about Thirteen?" Mina asked.

The detective turned to her. "Thirteen has been treated. The laceration from the back to upper arm was bad, but Thirteen will survive."

Relief rippled through the students, and he continued. "All Might will also survive. Recovery Girl's healing is enough to treat him, so he's in the nurse's office."

Ochaco took a step forward, her face pale. "Deku-kun…!"

"What about Midoriya-kun?" Tenya demanded.

Tsukauchi looked puzzled for a moment. "Midori…? Oh, him." He smiled once he recognized the name. "Treatment in the nurse's office is enough for him, too."

The students sighed collectively. "Thank goodness," Ochaco breathed.

"Now, go back to your classroom," Tsukauchi repeated, his voice cool and calm. As they turned away from the USJ, he spoke with the principal briefly, then sighed. He needed to speak with All Might, but after that, he would have to start gathering testimony from the students, starting with the one that raised the most concern.

When he entered the nurse's office at sunset, he was warmly greeted by his old friend, laying in a bed next to a student in his weakened state. He laughed when All Might introduced him to the boy, but there was no time to catch up. "Sorry to cut to the chase, All Might, but can you give me details about the vill-"

Before he could finish, All Might interrupted him. "Wait! Please, wait. More importantly, are all the students okay? What about Aizawa - Eraser Head - and Thirteen?"

Tsukauchi wanted to reassure his friend, of course, so he could only half-heartedly tell him the truth. "The teachers are in stable condition. Besides the boy," he nodded to Izuku, "there was another boy and a girl that had to be taken to the hospital, but they should be fine."

All Might's face fell, but Izuku asked before he could. "Who? What happened?"

Tsukauchi filled them in according to what Mashirao had told him after Cementoss helped him and Mallory get to the front gate. "Ojiro-kun should be fine because he was wearing a gas mask. His only injuries are rather small, so he should be discharged later today. Mallory-chan was apparently still unconscious when she arrived at the hospital, but her injuries aren't severe, either. I decided to get them to the hospital to avoid them seeing All Might powered down."

All Might hung his head and said nothing, but he didn't have to. Tsukauchi ached for his friend, whose shame was plain on his face. They spoke for a bit longer, and the detective left before the stars came out. A cool breeze swept by him. It was going to be a pleasant night, but his tasks for the day weren't done yet. He wasn't going to get much sleep.

**A/N: I never meant to be on hiatus for so long, and I am SUPER sorry for that! I've said it before, but I am a full time college student in my final semester, so I am in not one, not two, but THREE capstone classes, which require a TON of work. I haven't been able to write in weeks, but I'm still several chapters ahead of this one (still not done with the tournament arc, though). I should be able to get back into it soon, which is why I'm finally posting again. I am so, so, SO sorry for the delay, but I want to thank you wholeheartedly for waiting. Everyone's support means the world to me and I hope to return to weekly updates. I hope you will continue to look forward to them and give me feedback!**

**So Imma be real and say I want the chapters to coincide with the number of episodes for each season, so season 1 events will officially be wrapped up next time! Stay tuned. Thank you for reading and be sure to give me feedback!**

**Poor Mallory :(**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	14. You Can Be a Hero

"I ran into your classmates," Mrs. Maki whispered, holding Mallory's hand. "They were all very worried about you."

"Was everyone okay?" she asked. Mrs. Maki had gone to U.A. to pick up Mallory's things before arriving at the hospital, after Mallory had regained consciousness and gave a nurse her tutor's number.

By now her headache had faded to a dull throb, and the doctors hadn't found any swelling in her airways. The only thing that really hurt her now were her nose and tongue (apparently, she had bitten it open), although she donned bandages on her face and legs due to the chemical burns and scrapes she received. The environment had left her dehydrated as well, so she had an IV in her arm.

"I'm not sure," her tutor admitted. "I was just worried sick about you."

Mallory sighed. She was happy to have Mrs. Maki with her, of course, but she wished she had exercised more caution in the fire zone. If she had, she wouldn't be in the hospital.

Just as she started to wonder about Mashirao again, the door to her room flew open, making her jump. "Tinker-san!"

"O-Ojiro-kun!" she cried, startled. He was wearing casual clothes and looked no worse for wear, though she did notice a few bandages on his tail. "Are you okay?"

He stood at her bedside, looking down at her with concern. "I'm fine; not hurt at all. But what about _you?"_

Mallory paused. She didn't want to lie. "I'm okay. The doctors want me to stay overnight, but besides a little concussion and some bruises, I'm fine."

His stern expression fell, then he looked down and clenched his fists. "I'm sorry."

She was stunned. "What? Why?"

"It's all my fault you got hurt," he explained bitterly. "I could see that villain coming straight at you, but I...I wasn't fast enough."

Mallory hadn't considered what Mashirao thought until now, so she was quite surprised. She didn't expect him to blame himself, because he had no reason to. "No, wait, I'm the one that froze up! If I hadn't-" Her eyes widened, and she stumbled to a halt. Mrs. Maki squeezed her hand.

"We would have been caught anyway," Mashirao pointed out slowly, seeming to come to the same realization she was having at that moment. "They were following behind us the whole time. But if I had been more observant, I could have warned you, or stopped the guy from getting to you, or - _something!" _Shame washed over his face, and he bowed. "I'm sorry, Tinker-san. I let you down."

She was speechless. Mallory had tried her hardest to have confidence in her Quirk - so much of her life had been occupied by learning about gas. She could recite the properties and effects of dozens in her sleep, her knowledge nurtured by her family, her tutor, and the special curriculum that had made rumors about her swirl in the school she attended in Montana. She had begun to learn to embrace it for what it was, enough so to design an imposing costume - it was her way of owning up to its frightening nature. But when she had incapacitated that first villain, and even worse, used her Quirk beside her ally, she had fallen apart. Hurting a villain was one thing, but to hurt someone that relied on her was too bitter a pill to swallow.

She understood why Mashirao felt the way he did, and she reached a moment of clarity. "I don't think so," she said thoughtfully. "You got me out of there, and you were prepared to protect me when the villains caught up to us. I can't thank you enough for not abandoning me after what I did, Ojiro-kun."

"You didn't _do _anything wrong. You were protecting us. I ended up in better condition than you. Helping you escape was the least I could do."

They regarded each other for a moment, and Mallory was amazed by how full her heart felt. It was then she realized that they were on equal footing: each blamed themselves, but was that really fair?

"You two are too young to be worrying about taking responsibility for someone's life." Mrs. Maki's voice was gentle and sure as she spoke. "You've just started school and have no real training, yet you were able to work together to fight back against villains. I'm so impressed with both of you. The only people to blame for the situation are the villains. You did your very best, and I'm thankful that you're _both _alright." She was looking at Mallory, but her sincerity was clear.

Mallory smiled, unable to refute her teacher. If that's what she said, then it must be so, and she was relieved. Hearing those words soothed her worries about being a hero. Maybe she hadn't lost her nerve yet.

"Ojiro-kun, this is Mrs. Maki. She was my private tutor until I enrolled in U.A.," Mallory explained. Mashirao, seeming a bit embarrassed, bowed slightly. He and Mallory exchanged glances, and an understanding passed between them. It was time to put the matter to rest.

"Are you leaving?" Mallory asked, noting the T-shirt and jeans he was wearing.

He scratched the back of his head. "Uh, yeah. My parents are waiting for me."

Her smile widened. "That's good. Hey, do you know how everyone else is?"

He frowned. "I heard Midoriya-kun had to use his Quirk. I think his legs were messed up."

Mallory gasped. "Is he here?"

Mashirao shook his head. "I asked the receptionist, but apparently he didn't go to the hospital. Maybe Recovery Girl is taking care of him?"

"I hope so…."

A pause followed, but before it could become awkward, Mashirao coughed. "Well, I have to go. I'll try to let some of our classmates know you're doing okay."

Mallory nodded. "Thank you. Take care, Ojiro-kun."

"You, too." With a final smile, he left the room.

Mallory showered shortly thereafter, washing the ash and soot from her hair. Back on her bed, Mrs. Maki was lulling her to sleep by brushing her hair when there was a polite knock at the door. A man with dark hair and eyes stepped in, taking off a tan hat that matched his overcoat.

"Hello," he said with a kind smile, the last remnants of twilight shining from the window onto his face. "My name is Tsukauchi Naomasa. I'm a detective investigating the events that happened today at USJ. May I come in?"

She swallowed. It had to happen at some point, but his words made her anxiety spike. She took a shaky breath, then looked to Mrs. Maki, who exchanged a worried glance. "Um...is it okay if she stays?" Mallory asked, referring to her tutor.

"Is this your mother or legal guardian?"

"Well, no…."

Detective Tsukauchi frowned. "I'm sorry, but because you're a minor, I can't ask you questions without the consent of a legal guardian."

Embarrassed, Mallory lowered her head. "Um, well…."

"Excuse me." Mrs. Maki cut in now, motherly and sympathetic. "I'm afraid that will be a little difficult. Could I ask you to extend leniency?"

He frowned in puzzlement. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but it's the law."

Thinking quickly, Mallory scrambled to ensure her tutor couldn't leave. She didn't want to relive the events of the day without her. "I - um - I won't talk unless Mrs. Maki is here!"

But her tutor was aghast. "Mallory!" she admonished. "No, don't go that far. He needs to ask you about it, and the law is the law."

Mallory's face fell. It was too awkward to explain why she was so adamant about it, and she didn't want to be asked. But she didn't want to cause trouble, and it wasn't like she would never tell anyone what had happened.

Just as she was about to call it a loss, the detective closed his eyes for a moment. "I understand. If we keep it a secret," he put a finger to his lips and winked, "I guess I can let it slide."

It seemed strange that he'd change his mind, but Mallory wouldn't avoid savoring the relief he brought her. "Thank you," she breathed, and he pulled up a chair.

"Now, tell me everything that happened to you from the moment you arrived at USJ."

So she did. It wasn't so hard to do with Mrs. Maki at her side, but it was scary to recall the sight of those villains pouring out into the building, and the terror she felt when she was confronted in the fire zone.

When she was done, she asked a question. "Were all the villains caught?"

Detective Tsukauchi, who had been quietly writing on a notepad, looked up. "We're not sure how many were there, but we can confirm that at least two got away."

Mallory shivered. To know that there were people willing to kill _children_ still out there…. "Um, what about the villains in the fire zone?"

"The ones that answered interrogators said that all of them were arrested, but there are some still in the hospital that haven't been questioned yet."

When Mallory blanched, he quickly added, "Oh, they're not at this one, so don't worry."

But that wasn't her greatest concern. From what she knew about Japanese hero law, it was taboo to inflict certain kinds of injuries to incapacitate villains. Bromine wasn't an _illegal_ gas, but exposure to a large concentration could cause a lifetime of respiratory problems, and she hadn't thought to check the parts per million she used. In America, there would definitely be a criminal trying to get a lawsuit out of that, so who's to say it'd be any different here?

"Mallory isn't in trouble, is she?" Mrs. Maki gasped, echoing her pupil's troubled thoughts.

The detective put up his hands. "No, of course not," he assured. "Anyone would call it self defense. However," he turned to Mallory and said seriously, "that's quite the Quirk you have. We won't disclose all the details of what happened to the public, but you should know that there will be people that will be wary of you when you make your debut. It happens a lot with pro heroes that have Quirks people would call 'scary,' like Thirteen. They might see the negatives more than the positives, especially since you can use illegal substances like chlorine gas. I hope you're prepared for that."

She looked down, squeezed her hands into fists, and swallowed hard. "I know," she whispered with a lump in her throat.

He stood, and commanded her attention by clasping his hand on her shoulder. When she raised her eyes, he was smiling. "That said, I think you can be a great hero, Tinker-san. Don't give up."

Her eyes widened in amazement, and she watched him bid farewell and leave silently. When she turned to Mrs. Maki, she was smiling.

"He's right. You'll be an amazing hero, Mallory."

Such simple words were able to soothe the ache in her heart, and Mallory nodded wordlessly. "Can you hand me my phone?"

She called her aunt and uncle next, knowing that it was the middle of the night, but she wanted them to know what had happened before they saw it on the morning news. Of course they were upset and relieved, but neither of them proposed she leave U.A. for a different school, or to drop heroism entirely. Mallory knew that they were scared for her, but she was happy that they didn't discourage her. If they did, she would have broken down from the loss of their support.

It wasn't until she hung up that she realized she had received numerous text messages. Confused, she opened up the app, skimmed the messages of a new group chat, and promptly burst into tears.

_Hey, Tinker! It's Kyoka. I hope you don't mind, but I shared your phone number around. We're all worried about you! Are you okay? Feel better soon!_

_Mallory-chan, are you okay? It's Tsuyu. I hope you're alright. School was cancelled for tomorrow, so take it easy. Could you let me know when you're out of the hospital?_

_Tinker! I heard you took out a ton of villains all by yourself! That's nuts! I hope you weren't hurt too bad. Let me know! Oh, this is Kirishima, by the way. Keep us up to date!_

_Everyone, I spoke with her earlier. Tinker-san said she'll be discharged tomorrow. -Ojiro_

_Thank goodness! I was so worried. Feel free to save my number on your phone. Get better soon! -Yaoyorozu Momo._

There were almost twenty such messages, and she was overwhelmed. There had never been so many people expressing concern for her before. Even though she only knew everyone for a few days, they really cared. They really were her friends.

"I can't give up," she murmured between sniffs, wiping her tears away. "My classmates - they want me there with them. So I...I can be a hero?"

Mrs. Maki grabbed a tissue from her purse and dabbed at Mallory's eyes. "Of course you can," she said confidently. "I can't wait to see you debut. You'll save so many lives."

She choked back a sob and replied to everyone's heart warming texts.

_Thank you, all of you. You've made me so happy. I'm fine! I'll be out of the hospital tomorrow. I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt._

Within moments, there were replies. It was Mina and Toru.

_That's great! Are you at Tokyo Medical? I live near there. We should go out and celebrate your recovery!_

_I live close by, too! Can I come?!_

Mallory quickly responded: _Yes, that's where I am. I'd love to get together!_

Mrs. Maki left shortly thereafter, leaving Mallory to gleefully plan out the next day with her classmates - no, with her _friends._

She was almost too excited to sleep when it was time for lights out, but as she gradually lost consciousness, she thought with a smile on her face, _I can't wait to be a hero alongside them._

**Yaay, season 1 events are complete! What do you think? Be honest! I hope you look forward to the next chapter!**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	15. The Nerve Wracking Festival!

"There she is! Our courageous hero!" Mina greeted warmly as Mallory stepped out of the hospital, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight. She flushed as the doors slid shut behind her.

"Er, hi, guys."

Toru threw her arms around her, catching Mallory off guard and causing her to take a step backwards. "I'm so glad you're okay! It was so scary to see Cementoss carry you outside."

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she somewhat awkwardly held Toru in return. She hadn't even thought about who might have helped her after escaping the fire zone. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make anyone worry. I'll have to thank him later."

Toru released her, and Tsuyu hugged her next. "Don't worry about it. I'm just happy you weren't hurt too bad," she croaked.

"You and Midoriya-san had it the worst," Momo added with a worried frown. "I was really shocked to learn you were hurt. Are you sure you're all better now?"

Mallory nodded with a smile. To hear everyone's concern warmed her from head to toe, better than any sun could. "I have to take it easy for a little bit because of my concussion, but I'm fine otherwise. Oh, and I have to watch what I eat. I bit my tongue pretty bad."

Tsuyu croaked nervously; it seemed she was bothered by the thought of a damaged tongue. "Maybe you should see Recovery Girl tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I planned on it." She tried to keep the tone light, but her smile faded. "But today, I want to know what happened."

The girls exchanged glances before Momo addressed her solemnly. "Right. Well, Ashido-san said there's a cafe down the street. Let's talk there."

Soon, everyone was sitting at a booth with teas and cakes, and for a moment Mallory marveled at how normal the world seemed. People were going about their days happily, unscathed by the terror the students of 1-A had experienced just yesterday. Even her classmates seemed relatively calm and cheery in the face of what transpired, and it was inspiring in a way. Mallory wanted to be able to learn, grow, and smile as easily as they seemed to. It would be necessary if she wanted to be a hero.

"So," she said after a moment, stirring her iced tea idly with a straw, "what did I miss?"

The girls told her in hushed tones, occasionally quieting down when catching a curious patron's eye: the so-called Nomu that even All Might struggled to defeat, Thirteen's and Mr. Aizawa's injuries, their experiences fighting villains in various zones, and how Izuku had fared.

"Ochaco-chan told me that Midoriya-kun was able to leave the nurse's office last night," Tsuyu concluded when everyone had finished relaying their stories. "As far as students go, I think you were hurt the worst."

Mallory stirred the straw in her tea absentmindedly. It was half empty, but she had lost her appetite for more. "I'm not too sure about that. I didn't break any bones like he did. Maybe I was taken to the hospital because no one could tell what condition I was in."

"All Might went to see Recovery Girl, too. You and Ojiro-kun were the only ones that were sent to the hospital. I wonder why?" Toru mused. "Did you see Ojiro-kun while you were there?"

Mallory nodded. "I saw him in there yesterday, but I didn't think to ask why they decided to take him in. I gave him a gas mask, so it's not like he had any internal injuries." She shrugged, and their curiosity subsided.

"Well, it doesn't matter. What's important is that everyone's okay," Momo said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

There was a pause, and Mallory laid her arms across the table and sighed. She couldn't find any words. The world seemed so different to her now, after only a day. She turned over the events in her mind, wondering what she could have done differently, wondering how to process what happened, wondering what would happen when she came home.

But most of all, she wondered about the villains: who they were, what they were after, and was the school even safe now? Were her classmates going to be okay? Was it risky to be out in their uniforms now? She didn't want to get hurt. She didn't want her friends to get hurt. If something like this happened again, how could she protect them?

"Excuse me, could you turn up the volume?" a customer at the bar across from the girls asked, and the barista complied. Mallory looked up at the TV, and everyone turned at the realization that it was the news, talking about what had happened.

Even though she had experienced the attack first hand, it felt surreal to be told just how many villains there were, and that they were part of an organization called the League of Villains. She hoped most of the members were arrested at USJ, and that investigators could find the rest quickly enough. She didn't want to worry about villains at the very beginning of her hero training.

The group left shortly after that, and Mallory figured that everyone else was feeling the weight of yesterday more firmly on their shoulders after hearing the news. They said their goodbyes and separated. Despite the pleasant day and the streets filled with people, Mallory felt uneasy as she trudged home. She couldn't even begin to think of what school would be like the next day, or any of the days to come. How was the school going to respond? Who would take Mr. Aizawa's and Thirteen's places? The uncertainty felt like a rock in her head, heavy and painful.

It was going to be a long day.

The next day, she could hear the buzz of excited chatter even before she opened the door, and when she did, there was a pause as every head turned towards her - it looked like she was one of the last to arrive. Despite being familiar with everyone by now, the attention still made her blush.

"Mallory-chan!" Ochaco cried, running to her side. She clasped her hands together and eyed her worriedly. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alright."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just went to see Recovery Girl and she fixed me up," she replied, scratching her head idly. As she looked to the side, she spotted Izuku at his desk. Their eyes met, and she walked over to him.

"Hey, Midoriya-kun! I heard you were hurt. Are you okay?" She couldn't see any injuries on him, but she knew that didn't mean he was fine. To her relief, he nodded.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine! Just broke some bones again, haha…." He trailed off and looked away, hopefully because he realized how absurd that sounded.

Mallory's eyes widened, but before she could ask more questions, he interjected. "Anyway, I'm glad you weren't hurt too bad! Uraraka-san told me what happened when I left the nurse's office that night, and I was pretty worried."

Well, she was still bothered by the adverse effects of his Quirk, but she could tell he didn't want to talk about it, so she decided to drop the subject. Besides, she was quite touched to hear him voice his concern.

"Ojiro told us all about it," Hanta said, sauntering over. "You're the only student that put some real villains in the hospital! That's pretty amazing."

Mallory cringed. Judging by his smile, he didn't mean any harm. She had become adept at picking up sarcasm or maliciousness after years as the notorious "Stinker Tinker" in school, and she didn't detect any of that in his tone and body language. Maybe she was supposed to take it as a compliment, high praise for her skill and Quirk, but it left a bittersweet taste in her mouth. Being held in a positive light for once was dazzling, but to hear that because she hurt people was disheartening.

Fortunately, Tenya spared her from searching for a meaningful reply as he called everyone to their seats. As she sat, she overheard Mina ask Tsuyu who she thought would be their homeroom teacher for now, a curious sentiment that Mallory shared. Their wonders were put to rest when Mr. Aizawa, wrapped head to toe in bandages, stepped into the room.

Mallory was speechless. The girls had told her about his extensive injuries, so he was the _last _person she expected to see. Tenya asked if he was okay, but she doubted that. In fact, she came close to voicing a protest regarding his presence, but he spoke first, warning of a fast approaching event that left the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.

"The sports festival!" the class cried at once, making her jump. Everyone burst into excited and nervous chatter while she was left stiff in her seat. She knew about it, of course. When she first expressed an interest in becoming a hero to her tutor, Mrs. Maki had showed her the U.A Sports Festival. It was an amazing spectacle, and she watched it diligently over the years ever since, and even dug up some old footage online.

But she hadn't given much thought about it since her enrollment - she had been too focused on preparing for the entrance exam and worrying about the curriculum to consider it. Yet now, just after a villain attack, the school was preparing for its most important event, and Mallory felt left behind. She wasn't even remotely ready! How was she supposed to stand out for watching pros when her Quirk wasn't flashy at all?

She spent the rest of her classes unfocused. Mallory had no choice but to trust Mr. Aizawa's promise that they wouldn't be attacked again, so that wasn't such a major concern to her. It was the festival itself that made her anxious now. What if the events were similar to the mock test, leaving her to fall behind and struggle? What if the events were even _less _suited for her Quirk aside from being out in the open? What if she was passed over by the pros because she had no opportunity to truly shine?

Why did the path to heroism have to be so difficult?

Mallory wasn't able to collect her thoughts until the lunch bell rang. "Oh," she muttered in mild surprise as Cementoss exited the classroom. She quickly stood up and made her way out the rear door to stop him.

"Mr. Cementoss," she called just as he walked past, and he stopped to look at her quizzically. Realizing she had addressed him in English, she corrected herself. "Er, I mean, Sensei." She did have a bad habit of talking to her tutor the same way.

"Yes?" he asked, dismissing her mistake.

"Well, I...I just wanted to thank you. I was told it was you that carried me to the ambulance the other day, so thank you." She bowed humbly, and he turned to face her straight on, holding up his hand.

"There's no need for thanks. It's what a hero does, after all," he said with a smile...at least, she thought that was a smile. It was kind of hard to tell when his face was a literal block.

"I know, but I'm really grateful anyway, so thank you."

He chuckled. "I guess I'll just have to accept if you're so persistent. You're welcome. Work hard for the sports festival, okay?"

At the reminder of that impending day, her face fell. "Er, yeah. I'll try my best."

"You're not excited?"

She clasped her hands together nervously. "I'm worried about it," she admitted. "I'd be embarrassed if I didn't do well despite being in the hero training program for such a well-known school, and I don't think my Quirk is well suited for it."

Cementoss rubbed his - well, the flat space under his mouth - thoughtfully. "Hm, yes, your Quirk is a bit troublesome, isn't it? Gas, right?"

She nodded, and he smiled kindly again. "I don't think you should worry so much when you're only a first year. Take this chance to learn how to use it for the next two years. And if you'd like, you can submit a request to bring your support equipment with you."

She perked up. "Wait, really?" Mallory tried to think back to the sports festivals she had seen prior, but she couldn't recall a particular person using a support item. None of the top three students ever did, anyway.

"Stop by the main office after school and fill out the form. I'd be happy to process the request myself, if you have one."

Mallory was amazed at her luck. The strength of her Quirk was solely dependent on what she produced with it. A deadly gas only needed the strength of her lungs to be effective, but that was out of the question. But if she could use her tank, then she could release a larger, more concentrated amount of gas, such as the isoflurane she used to knock out Eijiro. It would give her an edge for sure.

"You don't think pros would think I'm weaker for needing it?" she asked hopefully, and he shook his head.

"Not at all. There's nothing wrong with using equipment. Heroes use them for all kinds of reasons: to fine tune their Quirks, to strengthen them, or even to contain or weaken them. I think raising that question might be good for you if you're worried about not standing out enough." Cementoss winked, and Mallory stood a little taller, bolstered by his encouragement.

"Then I'll take your suggestion to heart. Thank you, Mr. Cementoss!" She bowed again, completely unaware that she had messed up addressing him again, and he waved before walking away.

She heard the door open, and turned to see Tsuyu and Mina peering at her curiously. "What was that about?" Tsuyu asked.

Mallory put a hand to her chest, and felt her heart pounding. She was still nervous in a lot of ways. She wasn't the most athletic, and she could count on there being challenges she couldn't tackle with her Quirk, extra equipment or not. It would be humiliating if she scored a low placement and was overlooked by pro heroes when she was being taught by All Might himself. She wasn't even sure where to begin in terms of training.

But she would think of something. She had to, or else she wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

"I was just asking about the sports festival." Mallory smiled. "Let's go to lunch. I'm hungry."

**AN: It's time for season two! How exciting! I hope everyone has been enjoying the story thus far. I worry that she isn't doing enough sometimes, but she's just supposed to be another one of Izuku's classmates...for now, at least. :) Please let me know what you think!**

**By the way, Mallory has a habit of not using 'sensei.' She always wants to address everyone as Miss, Missus, Mister, Doctor, sir, ma'am, etc. (Ie instead of 'Aizawa Sensei' she calls him 'Mr. Aizawa.') It's kind of hard to convey that in words, but I hope that clears it up!**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	16. I'll Do What I Can

Mallory was still jumpy throughout the day, but she felt less anxious after speaking to Cementoss. It was hard to focus on everyone's excited conversations during lunch because her apprehension remained, but most of all, she was thinking of a plan. Granted, she couldn't formulate a real plan - after asking some questions about the sports festival, she learned that there was no way of knowing what the events would be ahead of time. But she could at least map out a method of attack in regards to training, taking the use of her gas tank into account.

She was still spacey during her remaining classes, and she was relieved when the final bell rang at the end of the day. She gathered her things in a hurry and leapt out of her seat, running to the door so she could go to the teacher's office, only to yelp in surprise and come to a screeching halt.

She was facing a massive crowd of students, all huddled together and just _staring _at her. Mallory could only gape like a fish in shock.

"Wh-What's going on?" Ochaco cried behind her, shaking her enough to leap backwards.

Before Mallory had the chance to formulate words, Katsuki confidently - or maybe angrily was the right word - strode towards the group of students, roughly nudging her out of his way with his shoulder (how she wished she had the courage to respond!) while grumbling that they were staking out the competition. The realization made her heart sink and skin prickle with unease. She knew it was a tournament to take seriously, but she would've liked to get along with everyone. Mallory subtly clasped her hands behind her back to avoid itching them.

Katsuki made a rather scathing remark to the protests of their classmates, and a boy with messy indigo hair and bags under his eyes pushed his way through the crowd to address him. What she overheard surprised and devastated her.

Transfer in? Transfer out? The news made her head spin. She could be...replaced? After how hard she worked? After doubting herself time and time again, after the people dearest to her supported and forgave her adamantly? When she had barely begun learning how to be a real hero? When she could finally start thinking about putting her regrets to rest? She covered her mouth with her hand. She felt ill.

Her ears were ringing, and she barely heard him continue. She was worried enough about looking good in front of a crowd and pro heroes, but now she had to worry about expulsion _again? _Even if the first time had been a cruel joke, she had felt the weight of dread then, and she was feeling it now with terrible familiarity.

"Hey, hey!" A boy with silver hair and dark eyes suddenly charged forward, standing in the doorway with a raised fist. The intensity of his voice made her jump. "I'm from Class B next door! I heard you fought against villains, so I came to hear 'bout it! Don't get so full of yourselves!"

He taunted Katsuki, but he didn't respond. Instead he simply started to walk through the throng of students, ignoring Eijiro's interjection with the counter that being on top was the only thing that mattered.

But Mallory felt that it was out of her reach. She didn't have Katsuki's versatility or Eijiro's ideal balance of offensive and defensive power, and she didn't have any remarkable training, either. Heck, she didn't even have much confidence in anything aside from her knowledge of chemistry. Any chance of standing out at the sports festival felt more like a passing dream than a reasonable goal to strive for.

"By the way," the quieter boy spoke, sweeping his gaze across the room, "the news said that some of the villains had to be hospitalized. Did one of you have something to do with that?"

Mallory blanched, and his cold eyes pierced through her as they settled on her uneasy gaze. Her breath caught in her throat and hands began to tremble behind her.

"No, that was all Aizawa-sensei." Mashirao was suddenly beside her, and he glared at the boy while speaking sharply.

"Is that so?" His tone was on the precipice of mocking, and he was still staring at her. After a drawn out pause, he closed his eyes and turned away. "Whatever." With that he was gone, and the crowd began to disperse.

She released a long breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "Thank you," she whispered, hardly daring to admit he had covered for her aloud.

He shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't let him get to you. You did what you had to, so it's not something you need to feel bad about."

She nodded halfheartedly. It wasn't that he didn't have a point. Between the attack and now, she had better come to grips with the fact that hindsight is 20/20. Even the detective reminded her that it was self defense. But she couldn't shake the fact that she had hurt them because she couldn't stay calm, which was vital to her. She could _kill _people if she didn't think things through, given her Quirk's troublesome tendency to act up when her emotions were spiraling out of control. It didn't happen often, but she couldn't afford it to ever occur.

"Mallory-chan?" she heard Tsuyu call after her as she plodded out of the room, but she only offered a dismissive wave.

"I have to go," she mumbled. She was too unsettled by what transpired to talk, and she had something to do, anyway.

"Excuse me." Mallory knocked politely on the door to the teacher's office, and she swore she heard a soft, smoke-like _poof _from inside.

"Come in," someone replied, and she slid the door open. She nodded to the teachers gathered at their desks - it was actually kind of funny to see All Might hunched over at a little cubicle - and the realization that she was facing several pro heroes made her incredibly shy.

_I bet they all did well in their sports tournaments, _she thought bitterly.

"Oh, Tinker." Aizawa turned his chair towards her, though it was hard to tell if he was really looking at her with all those bandages. "Here to fill out the support item request form? Cementoss told me about it."

"Um, yes," she replied awkwardly, and he motioned for her to take a seat next to him at an unoccupied student desk. She did so, and he passed her a sheet of paper and a pencil. "Thank you," she muttered.

There was a pause as she began filling it out, but after a moment, her homeroom teacher spoke up. "What's wrong?" he asked abruptly, and she looked up. Guess she was no good at hiding her feelings, but it was better to express them than risk her Quirk acting up from bottling everything inside.

She took a deep breath, anxious. There was no reason to lie. "Mr. Aizawa...can a student in the hero course really be expelled if she doesn't do well at the sports festival?"

"Of course," he answered immediately, and she deflated. "Or, if someone not in the hero class does exceptionally well, he can take the place of someone that wasn't good enough."

Mallory leaned back in the chair and tilted her head to the ceiling, defeated. She didn't know what to say to that. "What if I fail?" she whispered hoarsely to herself.

"Just do your best."

She looked down with wide eyes. Mr. Aizawa was typing away at his computer, and she couldn't tell if he had even heard her or not. "You'll do fine, Tinker."

So...was he acknowledging her? Her seemingly uninterested teacher was trying to cheer her up? Truthfully, she did perk up at his words. She held her breath in anticipation, but he had no more to say. He seemed cold and distant, but he wouldn't have said that if he didn't want to encourage her, right?

Slowly, she began to smile. To hear a pro hero say he believed in her (well, in his own way) made her heart feel lighter. If he didn't think she would do badly, then she would prove that. She didn't want to let her teacher down.

After filling out the form, she was surprised to see Yuga when she opened the door. "Aoyama-kun?" she asked curiously, tilting her head. He gasped, and his pointed smile almost dropped before perking up again.

"F-Fancy seeing you here!" he declared, pointing at her with one outstretched hand while the other was on his hip.

"What're you doing here?"

"Well, uh, that's exactly what I was about to ask you!" He put his fingers to his forehead, peering at her with one glittering eye.

"Oh, I was just filling out a support item request form so I can use my gas tank and mask for the sports tournament." She furrowed her brow. Was it just her, or was he acting stranger than usual?

"I see!" Yuga snapped his fingers, and she could have sworn that he looked relieved for a second. "I'm here for the same reason! Isn't that a fantastic coincidence? Well, au revoir!"

"Yeah, sure…." She didn't think it was much of a coincidence at all, but he had already ducked into the office and shut the door before she could finish speaking.

Mallory was dumbfounded. She assumed he was referring to his belt, which was completely fine. Maybe it made his laser stronger, or helped him aim with more accuracy...or maybe he had difficulty controlling his Quirk without it. The thought made her eyes widen. If that was the case, then embarrassment or shame could have explained his stammering. She had an urge to burst in and let him know that it was okay, that she understood that all too well.

But it wasn't her business, and she'd be embarrassed if she was wrong, anyway. It wasn't as if she knew him well enough to tell if he was genuinely bothered by something. Even if she were right, it probably wasn't something he'd want to disclose, and she felt the same way. She had her own skeletons in the closet, and she planned to keep them there.

For a moment she stood there, thinking of Mr. Aizawa's words again. _Just do your best, _he told her. She wanted to expand her limits on what her "best" was. She knew she could never be a hero in her current state, so unsure and unskilled. But heroes were the people that always reached further, aimed higher, had loftier goals. They were the people that didn't believe in limits.

"I'll do what I can," she said aloud, steeling herself. One day at a time, she would improve herself no matter what. Even if she never got a high placement in any of the events, she didn't want to regret a lack of effort.

After consulting with her athletic uncle, she had the training regime finalized the next day. It was difficult to juggle exercise with studying, especially when she was so far behind in Japanese-centered courses, but she found a way around it. Actually, she thought she found the perfect solution: a way to balance physical tuning with breathing techniques to increase her lung capacity.

The days ticked by. In the comfort of her room she was doing push ups, squats, and crunches while reading her textbooks, and when her body began to burn all over she'd sit at her desk and do homework while being mindful of her breathing. She still didn't think she'd do spectacularly well at the sports festival, but that was all the more reason why she couldn't fall behind on her studies.

As the first week leading up to the sports festival drew to a close, the students were given less homework and more time to train, which she was eternally grateful for. She needed any time she could get, and she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

That was why she was out running on a cool evening day, donning a new mint green tracksuit. Despite nearing summer, the setting sun was still comfortably cool, and the gentle breeze that wove through the houses along the street made the atmosphere all the more pleasant. It was a perfect time for a run, and that was exactly what she was doing; alternating between jogs, sprints, and walks uphill and down, with a backpack stuffed with decorative rocks she had collected from her porch.

On this particular day, she had decided to visit a nearby beach for a more relaxing workout. The sun's rays glittered harshly against the calm waters of the ocean, washing gently to just barely caress her shoes as she sat with her legs out. She was stretching, reaching down to her toes and taking the deepest breaths she could bear with her head down. She was winding down from a hard sprint now, and her backpack was set to the side. Maybe it was just her, but her legs, abdomen, and arms already felt sturider, more toned...though they still ached terribly in the morning. Well, no pain, no gain, so Mallory figured she was doing something right.

The sand felt warm under her, and the sound of the tide kept her breathing steady. Actually, it was lulling her to sleep. With just her to occupy the beach, she felt comfort in solitude; a strange phenomenon for her, but that was how she felt nonetheless. Maybe that was a sign of her becoming comfortable with her new life as a high school student. As her eyes fluttered shut, she wondered if she could lay back and relax for a few minutes.

"Tinker-san?"

She raised her head in surprise, meeting Izuku's eyes when she turned towards the voice. Mallory exhaled, sparing herself the feeling of her lungs about to burst. "Midoriya-kun."

As she stood, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

He was wearing a dark green tracksuit and huffing slightly as he spoke, so she could take a guess. "Same as you. Training."

He smiled, and Mallory was relieved by his friendly presence. "I see! Then, you were practicing your flexibility?"

She nodded. "Well, I was practicing my breathing, too. I need to increase my lung capacity."

He looked at her, puzzled, but then realization passed over his face. "Oh, is that because of your Quirk?"

She held up her finger. This was a lecture she was pretty comfortable delivering, despite her remaining misgivings about her Quirk. "Yep! I can only make a one to one ratio of gas. Basically, I can only put out what I take in."

He put a hand to his chin, and his eyes drifted upward in though. "I get it. That could be a serious handicap, especially when you're in an open space. You probably have to stay in close range of anyone you're trying to use your Quirk on so the gases don't disperse enough to make it ineffective, but that would put you at risk of attack. Hmm…."

She blinked. He was speaking quickly and in a low mutter, so it took her a moment to understand what he was saying. Then it occurred to her that he had gone to the nurse's office after fighting Katsuki in the hero versus villain drill, and he didn't see her use her gas tank. In that case, he probably only knew about her Quirk because of the villain attack and what his friends told him about her hospitalization. Maybe it was a poor choice to explain it to someone she was about to compete with, but she couldn't foresee any real harm in indulging him.

"Yeah, that's why I use a gas tank. My gas mask has different settings: one is for basic filtration of the air around me, one is for exhalation directly into the atmosphere, and another will push the air I breathe out through a tube and into the tank, and I can open and close it with a button. I can store up a lot more gas than I can keep in my lungs that way, and I could fill up an entire space faster and more efficiently," Mallory explained.

Izuku's eyes widened, and he beamed as though he had made a remarkable discovery. "I get it! That's a great way to work around your Quirk's shortcomings while taking advantage of its characteristics! That's amazing."

He was really enthusiastic, wasn't he? It made her happy, because she could tell he really cared about it. Izuku didn't find Mallory strange or scary or weak, and she appreciated that. She hoped they could get along in the future.

A pause passed between them, interrupted only by the waves and the call of seagulls. It was getting awkward. He could tell, too, given by the growing red on his ears and how he glanced around, maybe hoping a new topic of conversation would appear. She decided that now was as good a time as any to ask about something that had bothered her since the Quirk assessment.

"Why are you trying to be a hero when your Quirk hurts you?"

The question caught him off guard; the surprise was written clearly on his face, in his parted lips. An ocean breeze picked up, and he spoke quietly in the salted wind.

Izuku looked down at his hands, damaged time and time again. Even though she didn't put much effort into hiding her hands in her day to day life, she instinctively put her own arms behind her, out of sight in response to his gaze. A part of her knew there was no point in doing so, but it still felt natural to conceal them when she thought about it.

"I know it's strange," he finally said. "But I have to keep working on it. Someday it won't hurt me anymore, so there's no reason to give up. I've always wanted to be a hero, I've always wanted to save other people, but for the longest time I thought it was impossible." His hands tightened into fists. "But someone I believe in told me I could do it, and I trust him. So now I have to trust myself, too. I'm grateful for my Quirk's power, so it's just a matter of harnessing it."

Her eyes widened, and it wasn't the breeze that made her shiver. "But what about the sports festival?"

His determined grimace relaxed into an uneasy frown. "I know. It's not the best situation, but I'll just have to think on my feet. I have to win."

His humble story of the path to heroism struck painfully close to home for her, but that was too hard to say, much harder to explain than her hands. She couldn't put into words all the events that took her to the road she walked today, and she knew Izuku was the same. Still, there was a sharp, biting difference between them that was too taboo to say.

She wished she never had a Quirk in the first place.

Knowing it was too scandalous to dare to think of, and knowing there was no point in dreaming of the impossible, she picked up her bag and dusted the sand from it before putting it on. She smiled softly. "I don't think I'll be able to do well, honestly. I mean, I do have my studies. But when it comes to application, I don't have a lot of practice. So I just want to do my best, so that I don't regret anything. I'm tired of that sort of thing."

Before he could reply, she turned around and waved over her shoulder as she began to walk away. "Your Quirk is really strong, so I think you could do better than me, but you should be careful, Midoriya-kun."

Mallory broke into a full sprint, the rocks clattering on her back and making her shoulders ache.

**A/N: This was a hard one! I ended up not catching up to the episode this time. But that's okay! I really wanted to go into more detail about her training. Everyone was doing something special and Quirk-related, so Mallory had to, too! And it was SO HARD to decide if she should run into Shoto, Katsuki, or Izuku. In fact, I actually removed a long character moment with Shoto! I'll probably post it as extra material at some point.**

**I do want to explain her Quirk and her past a bit more in the near future. At this time I'm not sure how far in the next chapter will go, so we'll just have to find out together. As always, please tell me what you think! Reviews make me so happy and I deeply appreciate every one of them!**

**P.S. Just one more week of college! My final assignments ended up being much more time consuming and draining than I anticipated. All the writing killed my inspiration! But I'm finally heading into my very last week because I graduate, and I will MOST DEFINITELY GET BACK TO WEEKLY UPDATES! Thank you so much for your patience!**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	17. Interlude

The next day, Mr. Aizawa announced that they would be going to the USJ to perform the rescue missions they weren't able to accomplish last time. It made Mallory nervous to return to the place of the villain attack, but she knew that security had been increased, so there was no need for worry. Still, it was reassuring to know that she wasn't the only one that was apprehensive about going back.

"I know we can't just avoid the USJ, but…." Ochaco trailed off, fidgeting while sitting next to Mallory on the bus. She nodded empathetically; she was fiddling with the tubes and gauges on her wrist to avoid scratching her hands.

"I know what you mean," Mallory sighed. She wanted to reassure her friend, so she put a hand on her shoulder and said, "But you know, there's a saying back home: lightning never strikes the same place twice."

Ochaco paused, seeming to consider the expression while looking up thoughtfully. She turned her eyes to the side. "Um, I'm not sure that's true."

Not that she didn't think Ochaco wasn't intelligent, but Mallory was kind of hoping she wouldn't think too hard about it. She brushed some stray strawberry blonde curls away from her face and replied, "Er, well, no, it's not true. But I don't think something like that will happen again, you know? U.A. beefed up the security, so we should be fine."

Ochaco turned to her and smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Mallory-chan!"

Mallory smiled in return. She still didn't feel entirely comforted herself, but she liked making others feel better.

When they arrived, she was shocked to see Thirteen inside the massive dome. She had been told that his injuries were extensive, and judging by everyone's reaction, she wasn't the only one surprised.

"Thirteen-sensei!" Ochaco cried. "Is it okay for you to be up and around?"

Thirteen opened his arms, showing off his good condition. "My back hurts a little, but I'm fine now! I'm excited to formally teach rescue training to all of you. Let's go." He then turned and walked away unceremoniously.

She was still somewhat concerned, but Mallory was glad that it seemed everyone involved in the villain attack was okay now. Well, Mr. Aizawa wasn't totally healed, but it was a relief to know that he wasn't incapacitated. Besides that, she couldn't help but be a little excited! She had done a lot of independent studying about search and rescue; it was the aspect of heroism that appealed to her the most.

They arrived at the landslide area, where Thirteen explained that three people would be at the bottom of a deep chasm that yawned before them. One person would be unconscious, one would have a broken leg, and the third one would be panicked. Using a stretcher and rope, it would be up to the rescuers to assess the situation and save the distressed persons. On paper it seemed simple enough, and Mallory was already thinking about what she'd do.

However, she wasn't the first to go. That designation went to Ochaco, Izuku, and Tenya as the injured, and Shoto, Katsuki, Momo, and Fumikage as the rescuers. The rest of the class stepped back, and in no time at all, Katsuki was angry at the prospect of working at any capacity with Izuku.

Mallory could only scratch her head, sorely befuddled by his personality. He had all the makings of a great hero except for attitude - why was he like that to begin with? Was he even aware of how he acted, or did he just not care? She didn't get it, especially when he proposed blowing up the mountain to get to the trio. Maybe he was as dumb as he was aggressive?

Shoto ignored him completely, instead coming up with a much more reasonable plan. Katsuki wasn't letting up, though, and just when Mallory started to think nothing would get done, Momo took control. She yelled down to the group in distress, reassuring them first before preparing a pulley to lower Fumikage.

"She's really good," Eijiro marveled, and Mallory nodded in agreement beside him. She knew what she was doing, and she admired that about her.

_But I know what to do, too, _Mallory thought. Momo was smart, polite, and their Quirks were similar in a lot of ways; they had been regularly talking during lunch, and Mallory had begun to feel close to her, if only a little. Even if it was superficial - it wasn't as though they knew much about each other's personal lives - she really liked her, and wanted to be as confident as her. If she could find a way to one up Momo here, just once, she thought she would feel better about her own potential to be a hero.

It didn't take too long for all of the students to take turns, and soon she was placed in the final group of rescuers with Mashirao, Izuku, and Ochaco. Tsuyu played the role as the one with the broken leg, Koji was unconscious, and Kyoka was the one in distress.

"Alright you four, go ahead and start!" Thirteen said.

Mallory let her excitement take over as she stepped to the edge of the cavern, calling over her shoulder, "Um, so, I think there's something everyone's forgotten to do."

"_Huh?" _Katsuki was on the defensive right away, raising his eyebrows and pulling his lips back like a mad dog.

Momo shot a distasteful glance at him before turning a puzzled expression to her, holding a hand to her cheek. "I did?" she asked.

Mallory nodded. "Well, er, I think so."

She turned back to the people below and cupped her hands around her mask. "Don't worry!" she yelled. "We're heroes; we're here to help you!"

"Thank goodness!" Kyoka replied. "We're saved!" She didn't sound the most enthusiastic, but that was okay.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"I'm fine, but one guy is unconscious, and there's a girl with an injured leg!"

"Is the unconscious person breathing?"

"Yes!"

"Are there any noticeable injuries? Is anyone bleeding anywhere?"

"Uh, no! Please hurry; I'm so scared!"

Mallory smiled, glad that Kyoka was playing along so well. "Don't worry, we'll be down there in a minute!"

Mallory looked over at her team; Ochaco was already in the gear and ready to propel down. "Oh! Uh, actually, I think I should go down first."

Everyone looked at her quizzically. "Why's that?" Izuku asked.

"If this is the real deal, then we should send someone with medical knowledge down first to assess the situation. That'd be me, in this case."

Thirteen interjected now. "Very good!" He nodded in approval, then turned to everyone. "Tinker-san has made several good points. What everyone failed to do was ask questions. Knowing what's down there beforehand is vital when you're preparing for extraction, and getting an able person to help before you reach them can mean the difference between life and death.

"It also distracts the panicked individual. In some instances, people are so distressed that they'll impede a hero's work, so it's important to find something for them to do. Or in Tinker-san's case, her Quirk would allow her to sedate people, calming them down or slowing down their body's processes in case someone is hurt. It's good to not only understand your Quirk's weaknesses, but it's strengths as well. It looks like you know all about your own capabilities. Very insightful, Tinker-san!"

Everyone was looking at her, and although that would normally embarrass her, she was beaming. Praised by a professional hero! It gave her a new burst of energy. "I'm CPR certified, too, which was another reason why I wanted to go down there."

It was hard to read his face, but Mallory thought Thirteen was smiling at her. "Perfect! Go ahead and proceed."

There was a murmur among the students as she helped Ochaco out of the harness and put it on herself. "She's right; I didn't think about asking questions like that. I guess I got caught up in knowing it's fake," she heard Momo say.

"She's good at this kind of thing, too!" Denki agreed. The compliments made her positively ecstatic. She didn't realize recognition could feel so good.

"Be careful," Mashirao warned as she braced herself at the edge. She nodded, happy that he cared about her, and began to descend the side of the cliff.

She finally made it to the bottom and regarded the trio in need. "Alright, I'm here to assess your injuries!"

Well, she knew no one was really hurt, so instead she reiterated what both she and Thirteen had just talked about. By the time she had finished, Ochaco was at the bottom as well.

Feeling playful, Mallory saluted to her. "Reporting! Everyone here is accounted for and stable. We can begin extraction!"

The four girls laughed and Koji smiled, peering at the group with one eye open. "Alright, then. I can take it from here. You're relieved from duties!" Ochaco teased, tapping Mallory on the shoulder. She felt like her stomach flipped over, and suddenly she was rising into the air.

"Whoa!" She knew about Ochaco's Quirk, of course, but actually experiencing it was completely new. She felt dizzy and nauseous for a moment as she watched everyone shrink below her, but when she looked up, she thought it was kind of fun. But most importantly, she was glad she was wearing knee-length leggings under her skirt.

"Hey!" When she reached the lip of the ledge, she instinctively stuck her arms out in front of her. Both Mashirao and Izuku grabbed her hands and pulled her closer towards the ground.

"Uraraka-san, she's good!" Mashirao shouted.

Suddenly her weight returned, and she landed hard on her feet. She would have liked to linger on that weightless sensation for a moment longer, but she supposed that wasn't totally appropriate. Mashirao released her, and she nodded her thanks. However, Izuku wasn't quite so fast on the uptake.

When she looked over at him, wondering why on earth he was still holding her hand, she noticed that he was intensely staring at it. The realization made her flinch. She wondered what he was thinking as he regarded her flesh. A grim and permanent reminder of how dangerous she was, even to herself.

But more pressing, people were going to stare, and she couldn't bear drawing attention to herself in that way. "Um...Midoriya-kun?"

That snapped him out of it. He gasped and dropped her hand, his face turning red. "Ah! S-Sorry, it's nothing!"

Fortunately, it didn't look like anyone else had witnessed their awkward exchange. She stepped back as the remaining students were brought out of the cavern by Ochaco, clasping her hands behind her and trying not to scratch. In the same way her Quirk responded to extreme emotional distress, the skin on her hands always seemed to get itchy even when she was mildly discomforted. She knew it was psychological, but she just never seemed able to kick that feeling.

Once Ochaco had reached the top with the rest of the class, Thirteen clapped his hands together. "Everyone did a remarkable job! I'm very impressed. Now it's time for our second drill! This way, class."

**AN: I just want to say, THANK YOU to everyone for your favorites, follows, kudos, and comments! They always make my day. I am so happy that I can entertain you! Please always let me know if you have any criticism to offer as well. I worry a lot about Mallory's characterization, because I keep thinking I'm not keeping her consistent. If anyone agrees or disagrees with me, I'd love to know that. If you have any tips, that's even better.**

**I've kind of drifted away from my previous formula of sticking to the events of each episode per chapter, but I figured that's a good thing in order to flesh out Mallory's relationships, and she won't be a prominent figure in arcs to come. But I do have plenty of more content (including original!) to write, and I hope that excites you.**

**Again, thank you so much for reading! I hope you will continue to look forward to the chapters to come.**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	18. A Shocking Encounter!

They headed over to the urban section of the USJ. The tall buildings and wide roads reminded Mallory of the fire dome, but many of the towers were half destroyed, leaning precariously against each other and with busted windows. It was eerie, so she turned her full attention to Thirteen as he began explaining the exercise.

The drill was a simple search and rescue operation, but half of the students needing rescuing - Mallory included - weren't allowed to speak. She would have loved to do something more exciting, but she figured her chance would come. They would have years to get the hang of this kind of thing before doing it in the real world, after all.

She ignored Katsuki's relentless outbursts as he complained about being near Izuku again - seriously, what was his problem? Izuku was nice! - and picked her away across a mound of rubble about a block away. She wanted to find an area that would be hard to see her from and give the rescuers a challenge. Izuku and Ochaco were smart, Minoru was...Minoru, and Katsuki seemed way too impulsive and thick headed. She really only expected the first two to find her, wherever she ended up.

She hopped down from another pile of debris and turned, noticing a hole that was big enough to crawl through at the edge of the remains of a high rise building. It seemed to be held up by steel beams. She hopped back up and jumped repeatedly over the hole, but the material didn't budge. There wasn't enough time to find another place to hide, and it seemed safe enough, so Mallory dropped to her stomach and shimmied her way inside.

Fortunately, the space was wide enough for her to turn around and face the road, and her gas mask kept her from inhaling the fine particles that wafted upward with each movement. She spotted Shoto entering the building across from her and wondered which of them would be found first. It'd surely be him if he didn't look for a particular place to hide, but now that she thought about it, Minoru was so short that there was potential he would find her on the ground. The thought made her shudder; he was the _last _person she'd want rescuing him.

Several minutes passed. Mallory could hear Katsuki yelling for people to show themselves, but he seemed far away judging by the echo. She was wondering where the other rescuers were when the ground suddenly shook close to her with a thunderous roar.

"What?!" she gasped. Clouds of dust exploded from the building across from her, blinding Mallory. It was so thick she couldn't see, but she remembered with dreadful clarity that it wasn't empty.

"Todoroki-kun!" Horrified, Mallory attempted to scramble out from her hiding place, but before she could do anything, she heard someone else cry out his name.

Tenya skidded into view; he must have been nearby. He was facing away from her and didn't seem to notice her position. She was so shocked by what just happened that she paused. The pall of debris made it impossible to assess the situation. Had the building collapsed? Was Shoto still inside? What were they going to do?

"Todoroki-kun! Can you hear me?" Tenya yelled in alarm.

Just then, a massive shadow came into view. Immediately, Mallory knew it couldn't be their classmate. The cloud parted, and her stomach filled with ice. A hulking man was walking out of the building, his face covered by a black cloth with goggles, a gasmask, and horns protruding from his head. His muscles bulged under a tight black jumpsuit, but worst of all, he was holding a limp Shoto in one hand.

_A villain? _Terror seized Mallory, stealing her breath away. Tenya took a step back, and the man's gaze swept over to him. He froze briefly, then ran. If he was running, then that meant he didn't recognize the man, and so he must have been a villain, right? Dread made her body numb.

The villain calmly walked away, heading towards Tenya. For a moment longer, Mallory was paralyzed. Tenya had run towards where the teachers were last, so what was she supposed to do? Run the opposite way and alert everyone? Saving herself was out of the question, but fighting was, too. Not only was the man equipped with a gasmask, but she couldn't risk using a gas that could hurt Shoto, and that was assuming she could even get close to the villain to begin with.

She scrambled out of her hiding place and took a deep breath. There wasn't anyone else around that she could see or hear, but who was to say that was the only villain in the building? In that case, she couldn't afford to be alone for long. She had to regroup with Tenya and hope others would join along the way.

Mallory started running, knowing she was heading straight into danger, but unable to think of a better alternative. The villain was undoubtedly strong, but everyone had made it out of the first villain attack okay. Maybe if multiple students or the whole class got together, things would be alright.

She wasn't far behind the villain, and was soon able to see him again. Mallory tried to stay as far away as possible and reduced her speed to a light jog, trying not to draw attention to herself. She was still at a loss as to how the class could rescue Shoto and apprehend the villain, and it made her anxious to not have a plan, but she had to trust in her teachers and peers. If everything worked out okay in the past, then surely it would now...right?

Suddenly, the villain raised his foot high and stomped. Shockwaves of power rippled through the entire landscape, knocking her off her feet. She looked up in fear as a massive mushroom cloud of dust, dirt, and debris shot straight up before racing outwards in all directions. Mallory squeezed her eyes shut and put her hands over her face, but she could feel pebbles and shards of glass sting her bear skin.

Even dropping to the ground wasn't enough. She felt weightless, and screamed as she was thrown into the air. She had no idea how far she was moved before her back slammed against something, and suddenly she was being pulled sideways. As quickly as she had gone airborne, she felt concrete beneath her and the wind ceased.

"Tinker! Are you alright?" Someone shouted close to her ear. She looked up.

"Tokoyami-kun!"

They were crouched under a sharp outcropping of stone, and then Dark Shadow appeared next to him. She realized that he had grabbed her and pulled her to safety.

"Thank you," she gasped, "both of you."

Fumikage nodded, then turned his head as the wind died. The dust settled, and they hesitantly peered over the edge and gasped.

A massive crater had formed, with the villain right at the epicenter.

"How…?" Fumikage made a strangled cry and Mallory hardly dared to breathe. How could someone be so powerful?!

As they scrambled out from their hiding place, Fumikage ran straight towards the source, but Mallory hesitated. Something just seemed...off. This strength was unbelievable, rivaled only by one person she knew of. If the League of Villains had such a trump card up their sleeves, why use that Nomu she heard about? Why did this person lie in wait? How was he able to stay hidden here for days? None of it was adding up. It was almost as if this villain...wasn't a villain at all.

The pressure melted off her shoulders and allowed her legs to move. She chased after Fumikage to the edge of the crater, and she could see more of her classmates converging towards the villain or already there. Did anyone else have the same hypothesis? Admittedly she wasn't one hundred percent sure, but now as she approached, she could see that even the man's build was similar. Her only uncertainty was Shoto, who the villain still held in his hand. Was he really hurt?

She heard an explosion as she reached the lip of the cleared space, flanking Fumikage, and watched as Katsuki charged him, delivering swift but careful blows at the villain, avoiding Shoto and even managing to perform an impressive flip and making him stumble a bit from behind. His maneuverability was incredible, and Mallory couldn't help but pause for a moment to admire that. Katsuki had so much potential, but his attitude was so awful! Wait, that wasn't important right now!

"Glasses!" Katsuki roared, looking at Tenya over his shoulder. "Tell the other weaklings to get out of here! I can handle this myself."

Tenya said something, but Mallory couldn't catch it. However, some of her peers spoke up.

"Who're you calling weaklings, Bakugo?" Eijiro shouted with a grin.

"We are the twenty students of class A," Momo added sternly.

"And we'll all be heroes!" Ochaco cried.

Mallory looked over and realized that, indeed, everyone was present. In any other instance, she would have felt much better, but if she was right, then they could never hope to win if he went all out. Even if this was a real villain, she was completely useless here, anyway. She couldn't help but lower her head briefly and wonder why she was even there, despite knowing in the back of her mind that it was a foolish thought. Different heroes existed to handle a variety of situations, so why did she feel so bothered?

_When can I start making up for the things I've done?_

She was shaken, quite literally, from her thoughts as the ground trembled once more, and she looked up just in time to see a hail of boulders sailing straight towards the students. One half her size was sailing straight towards her, but before she could react a beam of light to her left destroyed it, breaking it into harmless pebbles that scattered around her.

"Th-Thank you, Aoyama-kun!" she gasped in relief. He winked at her and flashed a dazzling white smile.

"You're welcome!"

Multiple students charged straight for him, but he easily swept them away with a flex of his muscles, creating another storm of dust that almost knocked her off her feet. Once she cleared, she saw that Katsuki was attempting to fight him once again, but none of his blasts were landing.

Surely it had to be him! Mallory couldn't help but be a little upset. She almost got hurt! Well, maybe he was trying to keep the scenario realistic, but…. "H-Hey! Isn't this enough?" she shouted down at him. "You're going to hurt someone!"

"Uh…." She turned to see Denki give her a dumbfounded look. "Tinker, you _do _know that's a villain, right?"

Her eyes widened. Did no one else think what she did? Maybe she was wrong? "But isn't that just-?"

"_Now!"_

She was interrupted by a shout from Izuku, and turned back to the crater to see him run straight for the villain. Ochaco and Tsuyu helped propel him forward, but she was surprised to see that his target wasn't the villain, but rather Shoto. He grabbed him and managed to haul him away, but then he took off his glove and aimed his hand.

"No, wait, Midoriya-kun!" Mallory tried to say. "You don't have to do that! It's-!"

Too late, he flicked his finger, firing a massive burst of energy that surely would have knocked anyone clear across the landscape...except for a villain. She _had _to be positive now. There was no way anyone but one could resist that kind of strength - and now he was responsible for Izuku breaking his finger.

She was definitely getting angrier.

Pushed over the edge, she slid down the lip and into the massive hole. "That's enough! Quit scaring everyone!" she yelled, stomping towards him.

She heard someone say her name in confusion, but she didn't stop charging - and neither did Katsuki.

Mallory halted when Katsuki threw himself forward, straight at the villain once more. He delivered a massive blow with both hands, and she could feel the heat of his power rake over her. The villain was thrown backwards, straight into a slab of concrete covered in dots...no, Minoru's balls! She didn't even notice he had covered it, and it quickly became apparent that the villain was stuck. When she glanced back at Katsuki, she saw murderous glee as he sauntered closer. Uh oh.

"Wait!" She broke into a sprint and stepped between them. Katsuki's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in fury.

"Get the hell out of my way!" he roared.

"I know how you feel, and I'm really angry, too! But, um...maybe don't burn him to a crisp?"

"The hell are you talking about?! He's a _villain!"_

Exasperated, she stomped her foot and spun on her heel. "I said I'm mad, too! You've done enough damage, All Might!"

There was a collective gasp from everyone behind her, and the 'villain' slipped out of his mask, revealing pointy blond hair and a huge smile.

"I am here!" All Might proclaimed.

For a second, there was a pause. Then, with a scream of bewilderment and shock everyone cried in unison, "_All Might?!"_

He laughed in a boisterous manner, completely at odds with the atmosphere. "I wanted to make a surprise in which a villain appeared in the end," he explained. "You all did a wonderful job! I'd expect nothing less from the hero class…. Er, well, I'm sorry."

As he spoke, the crowd gathered closer to him, glowering. Mallory shared the sentiment. She had been really scared at first, and then he really could have hurt her. She understood the idea of preparing for the real world, but...she hoped she wouldn't have nightmares of villains appearing out of nowhere now.

At his apology, a chorus of protest rang out at once.

"You went overboard, you idiot!"

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"You made Deku-kun hurt his finger!"

"I was so scared for Todoroki!"

At that, Mallory was reminded of him. She looked over her shoulder and saw him standing and walking towards the group. "Todoroki-kun! All Might didn't hurt you, did he?" she asked, moving over to him.

Before he could respond, Katsuki interrupted. "You two! Were you in on this?"

She flushed and waved her hands. "No, I had nothing to do with this!"

Shoto looked down. "I didn't know until he first showed up, and he asked me to help him. Sorry."

"Tinker." She perked up when she heard her name, and saw a handful of students approach her.

"How'd you know that was All Might?" Kaminari asked incredulously.

She was being stared at by about half the class now, and she could feel the blood rush to her ears. Mallory shrugged helplessly. "Well...it was obvious?" Realizing that she sounded insulting, she rushed to clarify. "Er, I just mean that, his build and strength matched! Yeah, that was it! And, you know, I couldn't think of how or why the League of Villains would keep someone as strong as All Might just waiting around here…."

For a moment, everyone exchanged glances, realization slowly spreading across their faces. Momo sighed and looked away, holding her arm. "I should have noticed that," she muttered.

Before Mallory could say anything, Aizawa's stern voice rang across the clearing. "All right, class, dismissed."

Another ruckus ensued as everyone slowly climbed their way out and towards the exit, mostly with Katsuki demanding to know if their teacher was involved as well. He didn't respond, but as she started to walk past her, he stopped her.

"That was very observant of you, Tinker," he said, his tone seeming more tired than usual. "Hone your attention to detail, especially if you're not in an environment well suited for your Quirk."

His words gave her pause. She still wasn't used to any kind of praise, but what he said made sense. Maybe, just maybe she wasn't totally useless in a situation like this.

She nodded firmly. "Yes, sir!"


	19. Let The Games Begin!

On the day of the festival, the students had to arrive at school at the crack of dawn, fraying Mallory's nerves even further. She could hardly sleep the night before, and had to force herself to eat breakfast. Despite not drinking coffee or energy drinks, she couldn't stop her jitters as they boarded a bus to the arena to avoid the already gathering crowds. Even as they entered the rear entrance, she could hear a mass of people setting up food stands and going through security.

Everyone was quiet at school, on the bus, and now in the locker rooms as they changed into their U.A. tracksuits. The tension was suffocating to her, and Mallory's hands trembled as she struggled to affix the tubes to her gas mask and tank.

Just as she finished getting ready (well, as ready as she could be) and headed towards the sitting room, Mina bounded over to her. She pressed herself against Mallory's side, demanding her attention. "Don't be so anxious, Mallory-chan! You'll be fine. I just wish we got to wear our costumes, though."

They caught up to Mashirao as they entered, and he overheard. "It's to keep things fair," he explained." He looked at Mallory, and at first she shrank, thinking he was criticizing her use of support equipment, but to her relief, he only smiled. "Well, since your petition was approved, I'm sure it's fine."

"Yeah, I'm so glad I'm allowed to use my special shoes!" Mina agreed. Mashirao and Mallory exchanged glances and laughed.

They were the last to enter the waiting room, but there was still time to kill, and she needed to calm herself down. Mallory tied up her hair, tested her gauges, stretched, and even helped Toru bend forward as far as she could with her legs stretched out while sitting. If she insisted she was touching her toes, well, Mallory would just have to take her word for it.

An announcement came over the loudspeaker. It was Mr. Aizawa, tiredly stating that there was just five minutes left before the students were to enter the arena. Her jitters came back in full force.

"Do I look stupid?" she asked Momo, suddenly aware of just how much she stuck out. "It only looks good with the rest of my costume, doesn't it? Oh, I shouldn't have brought this! I should take it off."

Before she could rip the gas mask off her face, Momo quickly consoled her. "You look fine, Tinker-san," she replied, putting a hand on her arm. "I think it would benefit you to keep it on."

"Yeah, you'll stand out for sure," Kyouka added, standing nearby and twirling an ear jack around her finger. She smiled. "Stop worrying about everyone else. Just focus on yourself."

Mallory took a deep breath and held it. They were right. She needed to calm down. But she never did well under pressure, and she had learned to keep a low profile at a young age. Before moving to Japan, she had been the subject of terrible rumors at school - some more true than others - and it had even affected her family, spreading outward into the area of Billings that she lived in. So being subject to scrutiny to an unfathomably large audience was enough to make her dangerously lightheaded.

Actually, she probably would have fainted had Tenya not burst into the room to announce that they were about to leave. He made her jump, causing her to exhale in surprise and realize that her lungs were screaming for air. It cleared her thoughts away, and for that she was grateful. _Just focus on yourself. Just focus on yourself._

Well, she thought that, but that didn't stop her from getting distracted by Shoto suddenly approaching Izuku. The factual manner in which he said he would beat him made her shudder: she believed it. Both were strong, but Shoto had far better control of his Quirk. Mallory had no such imaginations that she stood a chance against them. But she hadn't considered Shoto to be the competitive type when he was so different from Katsuki, who she also thought to be a contender for strongest student.

If Shoto had approached her with such scathing words, she would only be able to meekly agree. But Izuku stood up for myself, proclaiming his determination to be on top. That stirred something in Mallory, and her breathing evened as she gazed at him in awe.

_I want to be as confident as him…._

There was no more time to think, for Present Mic's voice boomed through the arena, calling for the start of the sports festival. Mallory swallowed thickly as Tenya ushered everyone out of the room, towards the entrance to the arena where light poured into the corridor. She could hear the excited roaring of the crowd, drowning out everyone's footsteps and stopping her from hearing anymore downtrodden thoughts.

It was okay, it was okay. It would be okay. _Just try to place in every event. Just try to get noticed by somebody important - preferably in a positive way._

They stepped onto the turf to unrestrained applause from all sides, countless rows high, and it took everything she had not to freeze in place. These people - so _many _of them were expecting quite the show. But could she give them that?

Just then, she felt a touch on her arm. It was Tsuyu. "Come on, let's go."

For some reason, receiving an order soothed her somewhat. It was a passive reminder that there was nothing she could do about the circumstances, so she could only make the best of it. She nodded. "Right."

They gathered in the middle, alongside the countless other students in attendance. She had almost forgotten that her place in the hero course was at risk, too, and it dried her throat. She had worked so hard to be there, had gone through so much! It couldn't end now...she _couldn't _let it end now. Her newfound resolve made her ball her hands into fists.

_I want to believe that I deserve to be here._

A woman in a skin tight costume stood on the platform they faced, and she announced that it was time for the introductory speech. Excited murmuring rippled through the students and crowd - the male ones, anyway. Mallory was completely flabbergasted by the provocative clothing. This 'Midnight' lady was allowed to appear on TV looking like that?

She called Katsuki up to the stage, which surprised Mallory. She overheard a bitter jeer from a non-hero student in response, which made her wither inside. She had way too many targets on her back. She knew hero work was hard and full of scrutiny, but she wasn't certain that she was ready to face that yet.

"I want everyone to know that I'm going to win."

Mallory nearly fainted as anger erupted among her peers. _I hate him! I hate him! Don't make this harder for me! _Mallory thought in dismay as he nonchalantly left the stage, ignoring an aghast Tenya.

The response from the students didn't deter Midnight as she quickly moved on to begin the festival. A screen appeared behind her, words rolling like a slot machine faster than Mallory could read. When the spin finally stopped, Mallory wasn't sure how to react.

"And it looks like the first game is...an obstacle course!" Midnight said with a smile.

After the applause died, she went on to explain. "All the classes will participate in this race. Everyone will go around the perimeter of this stadium - about four kilometers!"

_Okay, so that's two and a half miles...that's not bad. _Mallory took a deep breath. She had run further than that the previous week, so the run itself wouldn't be a problem. But as for the obstacles….

"And I'd hate to _restrain_ any of you," she added with a lick of her lips, making Mallory uncomfortable. "Therefore, as long as you don't leave the field, you can do anything you want! Now, to your places!"

As everyone headed for a large red gate, an idea came to mind. Mallory quickly flicked the dial on her gas mask, setting it to push air into the tank. There were a lot of disadvantageous implications to the rules, or lack thereof - namely someone would hurt her - but she had to hang on to any and every advantage she could get. She didn't think much of her Quirk, but now was the time to milk it for all it was worth.

She was only ready because she had to be. As the three green lights above the gate slowly counted down, she assumed a comfortable running stance. There was no fighting this, so her only option was to push forward.

Mallory checked her wrist, then looked back towards the corridor that would take them to the obstacle course.

_Don't worry so much. You're a smart girl; you'll figure it out._

Mrs. Maki had said that the day before, and if that's what she said, then Mallory had to believe it. In fact, her aunt and uncle told her the same thing, almost verbatim.

_I'll do what I can, Peter._

It was time to focus. Her ears were ringing, and her vision was tunneling, but she had a basic outline of what to do. Hopefully, she could work from there.

The last green light went out.

"_Begin!" _Midnight yelled.

Just as she thought, there were too many students to slip through the corridor to the outside, and the added urgency of the students only contributed to the chaos. Mallory managed to push her way closer to the front of the crowd, picking her position carefully. She felt almost thankful for that day in the cafeteria a few weeks ago, because she didn't feel nearly as frightened now as she did then.

_I'm in control this time, _she assured herself, hoping to burn away what remained of her anxiety. She didn't know what lay ahead, but for now she needed to stick to the current plan that she had already mapped out.

She was checking her gauge again when she felt a sudden strong chill, one that almost paralyzed her. Goosebumps ran along her arms as she looked up, just in time to see frost and ice race along the walls and ground towards her. She knew immediately what was happening; she had seen it once before.

_Todoroki-kun is taking this seriously. I can't fall behind._

"Um, sorry!" Mallory shouted quickly, jumping as high as she could and putting her hands on the shoulders of two strangers in front of her to keep her elevated long enough to not get trapped. The ice encased everyone's feet up to their knees, and she just barely missed having her feet caught. That was a relief.

As everyone around her cried out in dismay and struggled to break free, she carefully picked her way through the throngs, taking large and purposeful steps. She was quick and nimble despite the slippery ground - she was a Billings girl after all, so she was accustomed to navigating ice and snow. She never expected her upbringing to help her like this, but she couldn't complain.

It felt somewhat cruel to execute her plan after Shoto's move, but she wanted to be sure she would stay ahead of the majority. At the very least, she had to make it through the preliminaries - both her and U.A.'s reputation counted on the hero students making it to the semi-finals minimum. That was why she pushed the button on her wrist, silently releasing her secret weapon as she made her way outside, where people had broken free and were starting to shuffle along the ground.

"What's that smell-?" No sooner did she hear the words that students began falling over, lulled to sleep by the sweet tang of sevoflurane. It was much more potent and faster than the isoflurane she had administered to Eijiro, and soon what remained of the students in the corridor fell asleep.

Mallory looked over her shoulder, finally making it outside. "Uh, sorry! They'll wake up soon!" she shouted to the alarmed peers that were trying to shake their friends awake, desperately trying to fight off the incessant drowsiness themselves. It didn't look like too many had actually lost consciousness, but every person counted.

"Looks like class 1-A is off to a roaring start! They're not letting anyone get in their way! I wonder how long the ones affected by Shoto Todoroki's ice and Mallory Tinker's gas will be out of the race? Could any of them catch up?" Present Mic bellowed from the press box. She could hear the crowd's cry of approval.

_I know it's good to be signaled out, but now I just feel bad! _Mallory lamented inwardly.

She shook off any trace of guilt she felt and sped up, catching up to the others from 1-A. Surely any one of the ones she left behind would have done the same if they could, so Mallory concentrated on pulling ahead. She could see Shoto in the distance, leaving a thick coat of ice in his wake with every step, but she was undeterred. She leapt over frozen protrusions and bounded ahead, though she was momentarily distracted by the sight of Katsuki flying.

_He's amazing, _she thought, admiring his versatility and mastery of a Quirk that had so much destructive potential. She wanted to be like that…. _But why can't he be nice?!_

The first turn was up ahead, and Mallory wondered with slight terror just what would be there as she ran alongside Izuku and Eijiro, then went ahead of them. Fortunately, she had trained with an even heavier load on her back, so the smaller weight allowed her to move even faster.

But speed wasn't her biggest concern. She was already at a disadvantage due to being in an open environment, and she wasn't sure if she could rely on the good graces of her classmates if she needed help with the obstacles. Then again, she had used Shoto's Quirk to increase the reach of her own without him knowing, but was riding off other people's backs really the best way to go?

Mallory shook her head. _Put that out of your head! Who cares? Just get as high a place you can!_

She spotted Minoru leaping from ball to ball with remarkable agility several feet ahead, and she watched him catch up to Shoto with ease. She wondered if he planned on making him stick to the ground when something suddenly slammed into him, sending him flying. Shocked, she skidded to a halt and watched him spin away, wondering if he would be alright.

Her gaze turned to see what was the cause, and her stomach dropped. Robots of varying sizes, from a head taller than herself to several stories tall, towered menacingly above the students, glaring down at them with beady red lights. She recognized them immediately; they must've been the leftovers of the entrance exam. She just barely passed that portion of the test, and had gotten hurt in the process! How on earth was she supposed to handle _this?_

Just as she prepared to kiss her chances of making it to the top forty-two goodbye, Shoto made his presence known yet again. A massive wall of ice sprung up from the ground where he touched, fully encasing one of the largest robots in an instant. Mallory was awestruck, but before she could think to move, it came crashing down. The gust of dust and wind that resulted from it's collapse nearly knocked her off her feet.

More students were behind her now, equally panicked by the enemies ahead of them and amazed by Shoto's raw strength. Mallory knew she wouldn't get anywhere by standing around, but what exactly was she supposed to do? If she just tried to run, any robots that saw her would chase her, and she couldn't count on being faster than them. She also doubted anyone would stop to help her-

But maybe someone would! As the robots steadily rumbled forward, Mallory scanned the rabble for someone in particular.

"Momo-chan!" she cried, racing towards her friend. Their eyes met. "Please, do you think you could make me some matches?"

Momo paused, then looked back out towards the robots. Some of their classmates were easily clearing the largest obstacles, and the remaining contestants were beginning to push forward as well. There wasn't much time for deliberation.

She closed her eyes, then rolled up the sleeve of her tracksuit. Her skin glowed purple and blue, and a small, slender box grew from it. "I understand your Quirk isn't ideal for this, but in the spirit of competition, I'm only giving you one." She handed over the matchbox, just big enough for one.

Mallory nodded, holding it tightly in her hand. "I understand. Thank you!"

Momo returned the gesture, and they ran into the fray.

The two didn't stick together for long. A small one point robot affixed it's gaze to Mallory, and soon began chasing her. She ran as fast as she could, pounding down the dirt path and breathing out. She kept looking over her shoulder to make sure it was straight behind her, unknowingly engulfing itself in pockets of propane gas. She made a mental note of when she started to dispel it, and when she was sure there was no one nearby, she stopped exhaling it. She ran the match over the strike pad and tossed it over her shoulder.

There was a roar behind her, and she felt heat rake over her back. But this time, she was far enough away to avoid being knocked off her feet. Success!

Before she had to worry about running between the largest robots and hoping she could avoid detection, more explosions shook the ground and made her ears ring. Massive blasts of something struck the robots, causing them to dent, spark, burst into flames, then collapse. Mallory looked behind her to see that Momo had produced a cannon, and was now making quick work of the remaining enemies.

_She's amazing, too, _she thought in wonder, but she didn't let her pace falter. Even so, she couldn't help but wonder if anyone would ever think the same of her. It looked like whatever mark she made at the start of the race was going to be forgotten at this rate.

**AN:**

**Thank you so much for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts. I don't feel too good about this chapter to be honest with you. Upon rewatching the episode, it went by very fast! And no one's exact placement was made clear aside from Katsuki and Shoto - it was even hard to tell if Izuku was really falling behind at any point. That made it hard for me to give Mallory any kind of placement in turn until the end, but I think I justified her placement.**

**I hope you will continue your support by reading and sharing my story with other MHA lovers! Look forward to the next chapter!**

**I also want to thank everyone for their patience when I don't update. I'm a college senior in my final semester and I am in MANY group projects that take up a lot of time. I always try to keep the chapters ahead of publication and I don't update when I think I've gotten too close to what I have currently. It takes me one to two weeks to write a chapter. I hope you understand!**

**Go beyond!**

**PLUS ULTRA!**


	20. One Trial Down

Mallory arrived at the second turn, keeping her breathing steady. She was doing fine; her endurance was nowhere near depleted, which almost gave her hope - that is, until she realized that no one in front of her was moving, and the uncertain crowd made her heart sink.

She pushed her way to the front and gasped. Somehow, there was a large canyon before her, a massive space of nothingness with only some platforms here and there, connected by mere rope.

Uh oh.

Tsuyu wasn't deterred, and she saw her leap confidently onto a rope and begin crawling along to the other side. Just as before with the robots, the actions of one spurred everyone else, and more students hesitantly made their way across. She saw someone with all kinds of gear navigating the landscape with ease, but she didn't have the time to gawk.

Mallory crept to the edge, her throat going dry. She couldn't even see the bottom! But...that had to be an illusion, right? No, right, of course. No one was about to die on public television, and at a world famous high school event, no less.

She got down on her hands and knees and began to crawl, easing her way onto a rope and letting gravity flip her upside down. In hindsight, she was pretty fortunate. While she didn't focus on balance in the weeks leading up to the tournament, she was strong, and had worked on her grip strength after the Quirk assessment proved she had been somewhat lacking. Even if she no longer stood out and no one remembered her, she was happy her chances of completing the race in the top forty-three had increased.

By the time Mallory had made her way across, she had fallen behind most of her classmates. Izuku was just behind her, though, weighed down by a piece of a robot's metal plate he was carrying. She wasn't quite sure what he was planning, but she couldn't afford to stop and help. Unlike the entrance exam, there was no benefit to assisting others.

She was quick to catch up with the people ahead of her, weaving through huffing and puffing students. The sheer adrenaline of the obstacles had gotten the better of her, and she was admittedly feeling a bit worn down. But she still had a lot of fight left, and taking a break wasn't an option.

She ran past Kyoka and Denki, Toru and Ochaco, and she was right at Mina's heels. Mallory admired her classmates' skills and athleticism, but until now, she hadn't really registered that her average scores from Mr. Aizawa's Quirk assessment indicated that she was just that - average, on par with these people that she respected. It made her happy, and filled her with determination.

The last corner was coming up, and she could see Katsuki and Shoto again at the front. She started to slow down somewhat, hoping to avoid crashing straight into the final obstacle, whatever it may be. The guys seemed to stop, but before she could see what it was, Present Mic answered for her.

Oh, great. A minefield.

At first she wasn't sure _how _she was supposed to navigate it without exploding, but when she finally stopped at the edge she realized that the placements were noticeable. Still, there were a lot of them, and she was among the first few dozen students to arrive, so none were tripped thus far. She wouldn't put it past anyone to resort to shoving to gain an advantage, so she had to remain vigilant. Maybe it was a bit dirty to try the same trick twice, but she wanted to score as high a place as she could, no matter what. As Mallory stepped onto the patchwork ground, she resolutely began filling the gas tank with sevoflurane once more.

The mines were beginning to go off as more people entered the final test, but she did her best to keep her balance as she maneuvered about as quickly as possible. She listened hard to avoid anyone getting too close to her, but she did look up to see how far ahead Shoto and Katsuki were. They were just yards from her now, and to her surprise (in hindsight, maybe it wasn't that surprising), they were fighting rather than advancing. This was her chance to pull even further ahead!

As soon as she thought that, a massive explosion shook the ground while she had one leg extended to step over two mines. She cried out in surprise as she was thrown off balance, and she started to fall. She planted her feet down and bent backwards to avoid being tossed to the side, throwing her hands onto the ground and just inches from more mines. Too startled to be impressed by her own feat, she peered up to see a piece of metal flying through the air at incredible speeds. Hadn't she seen that before…?

"Midoriya-kun?!" she shouted. She checked her surroundings before carefully rolling over to right herself, then followed after him in horror. Was he going to be okay? Was he going to use his Quirk to land? He'd have to! Or else he'll break in a hundred places!

"Midoriya-kun!" she repeated urgently. She realized that Shoto had created a trail of ice to catch up, and she quickly jumped on it and gave chase. Mallory didn't know what she could do, but she couldn't just stand by if Izuku was hurtling himself into danger.

Much to her relief, Izuku somehow managed to stop his fall, but the subsequent mines he set off were strong enough to make her slip and fall on the ice, making pain shoot up her rear. She heard the clink of the gas tank hitting the ground, and realized she had almost forgotten what she had been doing before Izuku threw himself into first place.

She scrambled to her feet, glad he was alright more than annoyed by being hurt (in a place she did _not _want Recovery Girl to take a look at), and pressed the button on her wrist, releasing the same gas on the unfortunate people behind her as she passed through the minefield.

Mallory didn't look behind her to see who succumbed to her Quirk. She could see the tunnel now, and the cheers of the massive crowd combined with Present Mic's play by play narration were making the ground vibrate. It was just ahead! She broke into a full sprint, her heart pounding and blood roaring in her ears.

She finally crossed the threshold and made it back into the arena, completing the race, and she didn't know what to do with herself when she finally stopped running. Mallory steadied her breathing and stood off to the side, watching more students pour into the stadium as the crowd eagerly welcomed them. The first round came and went so fast - when she looked up at the sparkling sky, the sun had barely moved since it all started.

She watched everyone's name and scores flash across the digital board behind Midnight's podium. Twentieth place - that was enough for her. Perhaps she did a disservice to herself by not thinking she could be in first place, but she was content that she would proceed to the next match, whatever it may be. If she could tackle that horrifying obstacle course, then maybe she could even make it to the finals.

"Hey!"

Mallory jumped, realizing that three students were storming up to her. They looked angry. She shrunk away and took a step back. From the corner of her eye, she realized that she was within a few feet of Katsuki.

"Um...yes?" she asked.

The students - two guys and one girl, none of which she recognized - inched even closer, until they were well into her personal space. She started to sweat.

"We would have placed if it weren't for you!" one boy roared, and Mallory flinched, taking another step back.

"You think you're all that just because you're in the hero course?" the girl sneered. "We've been busting our asses for a chance to get ahead, but you just can't _stand _the idea that other people are trying to make it big!"

She was appalled and intimidated by their anger. "That's not it!" she gasped. "Midnight said we could do anything we wanted. I just wanted to do my best."

"So you think that gives you the right to sabotage everyone else?" the second boy growled. "How good could you be if you can't get ahead without knocking people out? Is that how you passed the entrance exam? By sabotaging the competition? You used that dumb tank to cheat!"

Her head was spinning. Their accusations were ludacris, she knew that much, but she couldn't respond when pressed with so much aggression. She couldn't even feel angry in kind - she was confused and distressed. It reminded her painfully of being in school back in Billings, where everyone avoided or taunted her because of her scary and smelly Quirk, giving her the cruel moniker of "Stinker Tinker." Any response she could think of died before it reached her tongue.

"Would you shut the hell up?"

She turned, startled to see Katsuki closing in and glaring at them, his eyes fiery with anger. "It's not _her _damn fault you guys aren't good enough! _You're _the idiots that don't know how to get ahead no matter what!"

The intensity of his voice made the group falter. They looked at each other sheepishly, before one of the guys stepped forward. "D-Don't get mad at us!" he tried to say. "_She's _the one that ruined so many students' chances by knocking them out!"

"So what?" Katsuki retorted.

Denki suddenly appeared, putting himself between the students and his explosive classmate. "Woah, woah, calm down!" he said, bobbing his hands. He didn't look nearly as angry as the others, but his frown conveyed disapproval. "But Bakugo is right; Tinker didn't do anything wrong, and saying she cheated is _not _cool."

"Yeah." Mallory didn't even realize that Kyoka was next to her now, also cutting in with an edge of disgust in her voice. "You guys could never be heroes by blaming everyone else. It's not a fair job to begin with. You owe her an apology."

Mallory was stunned. She didn't expect anyone to stand up for her, least of all Katsuki. As she looked between the three of them in wonderment, the instigators mumbled something she couldn't hear and shambled away.

"Hey!" Kyoka snapped. She took a step away from Mallory. "I said apologize!"

But before she could go after them, Mallory grabbed her arm. An apology didn't matter to her; she was just happy that there were people willing to stick up for her now. She never experienced such a bond with classmates before.

"It's okay," she said softly. "Thank you, Kyoka-chan."

Kyoka looked at her in surprise, then smiled in defeat. "Well, I still think they should say sorry, but I guess I can drop it."

Mallory nodded. Their words had stung, and reminded her of things she'd rather forget, but it was worth it if she was able to witness the kindness of peers, or rather, her friends.

She turned to Denki. "Thank you, too, Kaminari-kun."

He gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry about it! Those guys were being jerks. Don't let them get to you."

Then, she looked over his shoulder to thank Katsuki, but he was already stomping away. Maybe he only yelled because he was angry that he lost, yet he still vouched for her in his own way. Perhaps he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

Just then, Midnight's voice swept across the stadium. "All right, everyone! It's time for the next round!"

Everyone turned their attention to Midnight as the screen behind her spun like a slot machine again. Mallory had no idea what to expect, but 'cavalry battle' wasn't on her mind. Actually-

"A what?" she wondered aloud. She had never heard of that before. Fortunately, Midnight began to explain the rules, although the more she spoke, the more nervous Mallory became.

She had to be part of a team! But how? She wasn't good with teams; her Quirk made it impossible when she couldn't alter the flow of air. On top of that, she didn't like the idea of being pursued by anyone. She was worth one hundred-fifteen points, and was in the upper half of the proceeding forty-two students. Did that put a target on her back?

"The student with first place is worth ten million points!"

Ah, well. That took care of that problem.

She felt bad for Izuku, but she had no intention of joining his team. When Midnight started the timer to form teams, she looked around. Several 1-A students flocked to Katsuki, but she didn't want to partner with someone of his temperament. She wasn't even certain she could be useful, anyway. She absentmindedly touched her gas mask. Was _anyone_ interested in her?

Mallory didn't like this. Within moments students were already gathered together, seemingly talking about strategy. Her classmates were teaming up quickly, and class 1-B seemed to be sticking close to each other as well. She wasn't sure what to do as she watched the creation of different formations around her.

_Uh oh...I think I'm in trouble, _she thought weakly, scanning the crowd. Her eyes fell on two people she didn't recognize. She wasn't exactly open to sauntering up to strangers with a favor, but she was starting to feel that she had little choice in the matter.

Hesitantly, she approached. "Um, excuse me…" she began quietly, trying not to keep her eyes on her feet. It was a boy and girl, with the former sporting a green mohawk and mandibles that accompanied light green skin while the latter had long blond hair, big doe eyes, horns, and hooves. The girl seemed vaguely familiar, but Mallory couldn't place why.

"What?" The boy narrowed his eyes at her as he hissed at her, and she tried not to immediately run away.

"Um, it's just, er...I don't have a team," she admitted, turning red. "So I was wondering if maybe we could-"

"No." He cut her off, startling her. "We don't need you."

Mallory deflated. So prickly! Did she do something wrong? "Um, is this because I'm in 1-A? Because I swear I'll work really hard!"

He sneered at her, looking like a viper prepared to lunge. "Ugh, is _everyone _in 1-A so self righteous? Why does it always have to be about you, huh?!"

She wasn't sure what he was talking about - maybe Katsuki's earlier speech had given him a bad image of the entire class - but she was once again interrupted before she could say anything more or run off, as she was getting prepared to do.

"I got it!" the girl cried in a thick accent. She pointed at Mallory. "I remember you now. You got up to get a special test with me at the entrance exam."

Mallory was so caught off guard processing the jarring mix of Japanese and English the girl just said that it took her a moment to realize why she was so familiar. "Oh, yeah! So you know English?"

"Yep! I'm from America," the girl replied in perfect English, her accent unmistakably American. It made Mallory a little bit excited that she didn't have to think over her words too carefully for the moment.

"Me, too!"

She placed a hand on her chest. "I'm Pony." She gestured to the boy, who was still glaring at her with his arms crossed. "And that's Kamakiri-kun. We're in class 1-B."

Ah, so they were all training to be heroes. Mallory bowed politely and switched back to Japanese. "It's nice to meet you both. My name is Mallory Tinker. Now, um, about teaming up…?"

"No," Togaru Kamakiri repeated. Pony frowned at him.

"Wait a second, Kamakiri-kun. She might be useful."

"I thought you didn't want anyone else, either," he sneered, though his tone was just a touch softer with her, maybe. Probably because they were classmates and so her mere existence didn't offend him.

"Mallory, what's your Quirk?"

After explaining it, Pony looked thoughtful, then nodded. "I've decided. I want Mallory on the team."

Togaru's eyes widened. "What?"

Pony grabbed Mallory's arm and pulled her closer, eliciting a surprised yelp. "I think she'll be useful! I have a plan."

After discussing it, Togaru finally agreed, albeit begrudgingly. It seemed he felt he had something to prove, although after hearing about his Quirk, Mallory thought that unnecessary. She believed him to be quite impressive already.

"Your fifteen minutes is up! Everyone better have a team by now!" Midnight announced, her voice booming through the stadium.

Mallory got into position, climbing up between her teammates. She tied the bandana with their total point value around her head, reading 185 in large red numbers. Their low score may have been a blessing in disguise, because maybe then her group would have the chance to take other teams by surprise as they focused on the top scoring teams. Both Togaru and Pony had amazing offensive and defensive abilities to keep her safe while she snatched other peoples' headbands, but she was still apprehensive. She didn't want to mess up and let them down.

"We've got some interesting teams here!" Present Mic cried. "But which team will make it to the top spot? Ready...set…."

Mallory took a deep breath. She hadn't really considered making it to the finals at all - even if she did, she knew she had no good ideas for how to beat people like Izuku or Shoto or Katsuki. However, she really _did _want to give it her all despite accepting her shortcomings, and she didn't want to mess up Togaru's and Pony's chances at the top, either.

She regarded the other teams carefully. _Worry about the finals later, _she told herself, _and focus on what you can do now._

"BEGIN!"

**A/N: As stated in earlier chapters, I really hate to exclude anyone from canon. While Mallory took Koda's spot in 20th place, he still exists, and everyone below her simply moved down a rank, so Koda is 21st, Yuga is 43rd, etc. This also means that she has 115 points and everyone above her has 5 more points than originally. I know this may not have been the best compromise and can affect consistency, but I hope you can suspend your disbelief and still enjoy the story.**


	21. Cavalry Charge

As soon as the race started, Mallory flipped the dial on her mask. "I'll need just a couple of minutes, so let's stay away from everyone else!"

"I know," Togaru snarled, and she flinched. They already went over the plan as much as they could, but there wasn't much time after they agreed to team up. Reviewing it again kept her calm, but it seemed Togaru wanted to focus completely on the moment.

Fortunately, they didn't have to worry about drawing attention to themselves. Just as they suspected, everyone charged Izuku's group. Despite not knowing him for very long, Izuku had given her the impression of being thoughtful and analytic; she didn't expect him to be caught in the crossfire easily, but she also predicted that everyone would give it their all. Given that she knew he couldn't use his Quirk and she didn't know the Quirks of anyone outside of her class, Pony, and Togaru, she wasn't certain how much time he had - or rather, how much time her team had - to survive or take the lead spot.

The reaction was almost instant. A team of class 1-B students struck first, with one of them producing a slimy, brown substance that slid across the ground and spread around Izuku's group, sinking their feet below the earth. However, to her astonishment she watched them soar into the air, thanks to a jetpack on Izuku's back. Looking at them more closely, she noticed a pink haired girl she vaguely remembered from the obstacle course. Did she bring that?

Kyoka tried to reach him with her ear jacks, but Fumikage's Dark Shadow swatted them away easily. Mallory frowned. Both their defense and offense would be strong with Dark Shadow; he was an impressive Quirk, and Fumikage seemed to have a good grasp on how to utilize him. He was certainly going to make things even trickier for the already risky plan that Mallory's own team had come up with.

They landed only meters away, but Mallory wasn't ready yet. Togaru and Pony continued to skirt around the other groups, waiting and searching for openings. As they observed, she watched a team approach Toru's from behind, and was shocked to see a blonde boy reach out, and in the next instant his skin completely disappeared from view, leaving only his clothes. He easily snatched her headband while everyone was focused on Izuku, and his team quickly moved away. A moment later, his body came back into view, and he nonchalantly spun the band on his finger.

"Who is that?" Mallory gasped.

"That's Monoma-kun!" Pony replied, and Togaru muttered something in annoyance under his breath, likely upset with Pony for so easily giving up information. Ignoring him, she continued, "He can copy people's Quirks by touching them."

Mallory almost fell off of them in shock. That was a very impressive Quirk, but horrible thoughts immediately filled her mind. If someone with no knowledge of chemistry and gases were to suddenly have her Quirk, the odds of a positive outcome were slim. She knew instantly that he was someone to avoid at all cost.

"You could at _least _keep your balance!" Togaru barked, shifting slightly to keep her in place. His voice reached Neito, who swiveled in their direction with a cool, calculating smile.

"What's this? Why're you two working with someone from the _other _class?" he scoffed. His team, goaded by his taunts, turned towards them. Mallory froze as Togaru and Pony stopped, trying to keep a safe distance from him.

Neito spread his arms in disbelief. "After all that planning to upstage 1-A after stealing the spotlight from us?" He shook his head, that serenely cold smirk never leaving his face. "Well, Pony is a pretty open person, but I didn't expect this from _you, _Kamakiri-kun."

He snorted indignantly. "When we make it to the finals, she won't stand a chance."

Mallory didn't like the sound of that, but Neito barked with laughter. "Already planning on fighting with your own teammates? That's not very sportsmanlike." His grin broadened. "Although, I guess it doesn't really matter. Sorry, you two, but I think I'll try racking up just a few more points."

His words spurred action. His group was suddenly charging them, and Mallory's heart jumped. She wasn't ready yet, but worst of all-

"Oh, no you don't!" Togaru shifted, pushing Mallory more firmly onto Pony's shoulders, and raised his arms. Long, sharp blades jutted from his skin, glittering in the sun. From behind, Pony's longhorns shot out, straight for the opposing team.

A boy with light, almost reddish brown hair and dark eyes retaliated. He sucked in a deep breath and pushed it out, and Mallory could just barely make out a shimmer in the air as his breath moved towards them, before becoming a clear but definitive wall. Pony's horns hit the wall and fell to the ground, losing all momentum as the wall dissipated back into the atmosphere.

Neito's team closed the gap in an instant, and the arm of a boy with dark brown hair was spinning at an incredible speed, like a drill. Togaru raised his arms, but the boy used the velocity his Quirk generated to knock the blades aside by striking the flat side of them.

Mallory reared back as far as she could as Neito's hand reached for her. She didn't understand the specifics of his Quirk, but she didn't dare risk even the slightest touch if it meant brief possession of hers.

She was scared. His hand stirred a deep, primal fear within her. One mess up, one breath was all it would take to hurt everyone around them, to hurt himself, or even worse. She had a flash of a vision in her mind's eye, and her heart seized in her chest.

"_Don't touch me!"_

The intensity of her scream carried throughout the arena, echoing against the crowd. There was a pause where she could feel all eyes on her, and her stomach sank. But most of all, the desperation in her voice reached Neito, who pulled back in shock, his confident expression finally falling away as his eyes went wide. Whether he understood exactly why he shouldn't copy her Quirk or not didn't matter; she just needed to get away from him.

Mallory's teammates capitalized on the confusion that followed. Pony shot out more horns, forcing Neito's team to backpedal to avoid getting hit, and Togaru kept up a defensive wall as they stepped away.

For a moment, Neito glowered at her, and seemed to be considering trying again.

"Come on, we should go for more points!" someone on his team shouted, and he nodded mutely in response. An explosion caught everyone's attention, and they turned to see Katsuki soaring through the air. At that, Neito turned and ran for Katsuki's team.

Just then, Mallory heard a long beeping sound. She looked down and noticed a green light on her wrist. She had almost forgotten the original plan in the chaos that had just unfolded. She took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm the pounding of her heart as she was repositioned more evenly between the two below her. "It's ready," she croaked weakly, fiddling with the knob on her mask.

"Are you okay?" Pony asked in concern. She nodded, though it wasn't the truth.

"Yeah, it's just...it could be bad for someone to borrow my Quirk."

Before anything else could be said, Togaru jolted her attention back to the tournament. "Never mind that; they're coming!"

Looking to her right, she saw the boy with messy indigo hair from weeks ago approaching. To her surprise, Mashirao and Aoyama were on his team, but they weren't even looking at her. They seemed unfocused, staring blankly ahead, but she didn't have time to wonder what was wrong.

"Hey." His voice was low and cool, and he looked almost bored as Togaru and Pony braced themselves for a fight. He held out his hand expectantly. "Can I have your headband?"

The blunt question completely threw her off guard. "What? No, get away-!"

For a second, everything went out of focus, narrowing to black as a ring filled her head. She blinked, and when her vision returned, her gaze was frozen onto his steely eyes, and everything else remained dim.

"Give me your headband."

His voice echoed above the blood roaring in her ears. Her body suddenly weighed a thousand pounds, and she could only nod as she reached for it.

"Mallory?" Pony asked worriedly.

She wasn't sure who was talking, but she didn't respond. She had to give him the headband.

"What're you _doing?" _Togaru growled.

She lurched backwards, but it wasn't her own doing. People were trying to take her away from the boy with the bags under his eyes, but she had to give him the headband.

Mallory shifted, breaking from her team's hold. The boy was patiently waiting, unmoving. Just as she prepared to jump down and give him what he demanded, Pony grabbed her wrist and pulled her backwards, hitting the button on the cuff at the same time.

There was a quiet hiss, and a thick, yellow-white cloud exploded over them, engulfing half the field and climbing into the stands. Cheers quickly turned to coughs as the stench of rotten eggs permeated the air, and Mallory scrunched her nose. Even with the mask, the smell was too strong to block it out entirely, and it made her eyes water.

Distracted by the sulfur, she suddenly snapped to attention. "What?" she gasped, scrambling to reposition herself between Pony and Togaru. She couldn't see anything but smoke, and her teammates were already pulling away.

"Woah! Normally I feel sorry for the people that don't get tickets to the sports festival, but not this year! That _stinks!" _Present Mic's voice boomed from the press box, shaking the mysterious veil that had been draped across her mind.

"Why the hell were you about to give up like that?" Togaru snarled, but Mallory could only shake her head.

"It must be his Quirk...I felt like I couldn't stop myself. Pony saved us."

Pony coughed and shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry about it! Let's just get away!"

The gas was already beginning to clear, and they headed for an empty patch of land. Despite obscuring their own vision with sulfur, they had the advantage of an overall stimulus overload with the smell. They were betting on being prepared enough to be able to escape a sticky situation, or trap opponents in obscurity to take their bands. Mallory looked over her shoulder at the clock. Just a couple minutes left, and with nothing to show for it.

She didn't want to let her teammates down! She surveyed the arena. Far to the other side of the grass, a semicircle wall of ice had appeared - Shoto must have been trying to trap Izuku's team. It was too risky to try to join with what little time they had left, so they had no choice but make a mad charge for the closest teams.

"C'mon, let's go!" Mallory cried

Togaru and Pony broke into full sprints, and Mallory held tightly to Togaru's shoulders to avoid being thrown off. Everyone seemed to be converging on Neito's team or frozen to the ground; they needed to take advantage of the lack of eyes on them.

They were nearing Neito, hoping to grab the points while he was fighting off Katsuki and another team from Class 1-B, but the boy with the rusty hair noticed them. He puffed out his cheeks and exhaled, but they were going too fast to stop themselves. The group crashed into a wall of air, causing Mallory and Togaru to smack their faces square against it.

By the time they recovered their senses and stepped away, Katsuki had just snatched Neito's remaining bands.

"Damn it!" Togaru barked. "We'll just have to go for Bakugo's team!"

Pony launched her horns straight for them, and Katsuki turned just in time to see them. He put out his hands and blasted them aside, but Mallory had an idea.

"Keep going!" she told her team, and within a few more bounds, they were close enough to touch. Mallory reached towards the bands around his neck, but the intensity of his glare bore into her, even without her looking him in the eye. She couldn't help but feel a little afraid, however she promised herself she would give this her all. She wanted something to show for all her effort, to not let her teammates believe she wanted to drag them down, and took a deep breath.

Katsuki glowed with fury as he blocked her, palm aimed for her face. "I don't have time for you, Stinker!"

A spark glowed on his hand, but she released the breath she had been holding, killing it before it could ignite with an above average concentration of carbon dioxide. A thick pillar of smoke grew between them, separating the teams between an ashy wall. It was way more than would be generated by Katsuki's Quirk alone, but before anyone could even exclaim in surprise, Katsuki swatted Mallory away and launched himself into the sky, the powerful blasts he left behind stirring her hair and stinging her face with light and heat.

Blinking as Togaru and Pony stumbled away, Mallory's arms dropped to her sides as a chill ran down her spine. Togaru was yelling in frustration; there were only seconds left, and all they had accomplished was protecting their own measly points. But Mallory could only hear Katsuki's words, and the gas mask was suddenly stifling.

She pulled it off and inhaled deeply, then coughed on the remnants of smoke. In her mind's eye, she saw a glimpse of herself, small and shy and scared, with a mask forced over her nose and mouth while she sat alone at her desk. Childish chatter of years ago filled her ears.

"_Why does she wear that? It's weird!"_

"_It's 'cause her Quirk makes her breath smell super bad."_

"_Eww, that's gross! She's gross!"_

"_Yeah, you should stay away. I heard her breath can make people sick, too."_

"_She smells so bad it makes people sick? She's disgusting!"_

"_Stinker Tinker, Stinker Tinker!"_

Years of loneliness made her shiver as the sun beat down on her, making sweat form across her forehead and trickle down her neck.

The deep blare of an alarm made her whole body vibrate, snapping her from a painful reverie. "And that's it! The cavalry battle is over!" Present Mic declared overhead.

The raucous of the crowd grew to a fevered pitch as the students finally wound down. Mallory slid off Togaru's shoulders and landed heavily, staring at her feet in shame. She felt terrible.

"I'm so sorry, you guys…" she mumbled in defeat.

Togaru crossed his arms and turned away with a grumpy huff, saying nothing. However, Pony put her hand on Mallory's arm and smiled at her.

"Don't beat yourself up about it," she whispered, sharing her kind words in English. "It was a team failure. We all messed up. Kamakiri-kun is just mad that our best wasn't enough." She paused, then added, "Didn't you try your hardest?"

"Of course I did!" Mallory replied.

"Then we just weren't good enough for the finals this year, that's all. Let's work hard and make it to the finals next time!"

Her words comforted her, and Mallory relaxed a little. "I just didn't want you or Kamakiri-kun to think I wanted you guys to lose. I really wanted to go as far as I could, without sabotaging anyone."

Pony nodded. "I believe you. Next year I'd love to be on a team with you again!"

Mallory's eyes widened. "Really? But...isn't my Quirk hard to work with?"

She shook her head, even laughed. "No, I think it's great! If I wear a gas mask, we could do even more with it!"

Warmth spread through Mallory, burning away the icy melancholy of her past that clung to her like frost. "Then I...I really want to team up with you again next year, too."

They hugged, and Present Mic announced the top four teams. Mallory broke away to formally shake hands, then stepped away to congratulate the winners. At the very least, maybe she could say she made just one more friend.

**A/N: So at this point instead of trying any kind of semi-weekly update, I'm just going to post chapters as soon as they're completed. Thanks for sticking around!**


	22. Taking a Seat

"Let's announce our winners right away! In first place, Todoroki Shoto's team!" Present Mic had been speaking as Mallory reconciled with the loss, and craned her neck to look at the scoreboard as everyone's point values flashed. Well, her team didn't end up with _zero _points, but they were nowhere near the top four. She still felt somewhat bitter about it, but not enough to scorn the winners. Everyone worked hard; she just wasn't good enough.

"In second place, Bakugo Katsuki's team!"

_Will I ever be as good as any of them? _she wondered, pace sluggish as she headed towards the ice that had appeared earlier to congratulate the teams.

The announcement of the third place team, however, gave her pause. Shinso Hitoshi? Who was that? She looked around, and her eyes widened when she spotted the tired boy from before smiling confidently. Mashirao and Aoyama didn't look too pleased, and she understood instantly. It only thanks to Pony's quick thinking that she hadn't given up her own team's points, and she still wasn't sure what had exactly happened. Whatever he had done, he must have had better success with all the other teams that had no points.

Mallory looked down. Her memories felt hazy, but she knew that he had controlled her. That kind of thing was scary, wasn't? The thought struck her like lightning. Suddenly, she really wanted to talk to him, because it was just too unfair. She had been intimidated by him initially, but...just because a person had a scary Quirk didn't mean he was scary, nor did it mean he was bad - right?

"And finally, in fourth place, Midoriya Izuku and his team!"

She had abruptly changed direction, and was now marching straight towards Hitoshi's group. He must have caught her from the corner of his eye, because he looked at her over his shoulder, and she froze again. His dark eyes pierced right through her, as though he was uncovering everything she was, everything she did. The cold and bitterness she felt were familiar, frightening friends, and she swallowed thickly. Without a word, he instead headed for the hall out of the arena rather than formally acknowledging her as Present Mic called for an hour lunch break.

"Does he not like me…?" she asked aloud as Mashirao approached her.

Mashirao shook his head. "I don't think so." To her surprise, her polite and gentle classmate was glaring in Hitoshi's direction. "Or rather, I don't think it's _just _you."

"Ojiro-kun? What's wrong?"

He hesitated, and seemed to be struggling to find the words. His expression became one of worry and puzzlement as he shook his head. "It's just...I don't know." He sighed helplessly, but before she could ask if he wasn't feeling well, he offered a small smile. "Let's just go to lunch, okay?"

If he didn't want to talk about it, then there was nothing she could do, so Mallory merely nodded and followed him back inside.

After putting away her gas tank, she met up with her classmates back in the school. Despite the loss, it was hard to linger on it for long when the girls had saved her a seat, much to her joy. U.A. had offered her so many new experiences already, but the most dear to her were the friends she was making. Truly, companionship tasted even sweeter than she imagined. She even received a text from Mrs. Maki, who was sorry that she didn't make it to the finals, but proud of her all the same.

However, something went awry in the middle of lunch, such that Mallory found herself in an orange cheerleading uniform that showed far more skin than she was used to.

"Uh...are we sure this is right?" she asked sheepishly. All of the girls were in the locker room, having just finished changing. She tugged at the hem of the shirt, conscious of the fact she was showing her belly button.

Kyoka had her arms across her chest, and Ochaco was pulling at the skirt; it seemed that they weren't entirely onboard, either.

"This is according to Aizawa-sensei," Momo reminded them, seeming at ease. Well, considering how much skin she had to show as part of her Quirk, it was no wonder she seemed to have no issue with this. Although, Mallory became quite more aware of just how slender and petite she was in comparison to her peers, and she wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Yeah, but you heard about it from Mineta-kun," Tsuyu pointed out, adjusting the fancy bow she had styled her hair in.

Mallory nodded in agreement. She wasn't quite sure this was legit, but before she could say anything, Present Mic came over the loudspeaker and announced the start of the recreational games, though there was no mention of the so-called cheer competition that was supposed to take place at the same time. Grabbing their pom-poms, the girls headed out to the field with varying degrees of trepidation.

It became immediately apparent that something was off. When they entered the arena, they were the only ones wearing cheerleading uniforms, even though it was something all the girls were supposed to be doing, according to Minoru.

"Woah, what's going on, 1-A girls? What kind of fan service is this?" Present Mic exclaimed in shock. Mallory's heart tumbled down to her stomach.

"They tricked us!" Momo cried in despair, and fell to her knees in shame. Ochaco bent down to comfort her as Kyouka threw down her pom-poms in anger. Mallory awkwardly crossed her arms over her chest, also covering up her stomach. Her face was burning with embarrassment, but said nothing.

However, despite the trickery, Toru wanted to cheer nonetheless. "It's fine! Let's just give it our all!" she cheered, waving her pom-poms wildly in the air.

Mallory was far from eager to wear the outfit any longer, but before she could have a chance to escape to the locker room, Present Mic explained how the finals would proceed. It was a classic one-on-one bracket, and it made her knees shake just thinking about it. Maybe it was a _good _thing she didn't make it so far...not that she would tell anyone that. She really did try her hardest, but she figured her peers would accuse her of not being serious enough if she admitted to being so scared and certain of failure.

_I just...I don't like my Quirk._

"Now, let's draw lots to determine the bracket," Midnight announced, holding up a yellow box. She quickly explained that the recreation would start after this, and the finalists could choose to participate or not. Mallory glanced at Ochaco and Mina, wondering what they would do.

However, before the first lot was drawn, Mashirao raised his hand. "Excuse me, but...I'm withdrawing," he muttered, looking down.

Everyone was taken by surprise. Izuku and Iida protested immediately, and Mallory couldn't help but agree. Mashirao was ready to show off to the pros, she knew it. He had so much skill, so much to demonstrate. It would be a shame to lose such a great opportunity!

However, he then explained that he didn't remember the cavalry race at all, and suggested it was due to Hitoshi's Quirk. That revelation gave her pause. Now that some time had passed, her memory was getting foggier and foggier. She could hardly recall what happened between when he spoke to her and when Pony released the gas. She scanned the crowd and saw Hitoshi not too far from her, looking away as though silently admitting his guilt.

Mashirao went on to explain it was a matter of pride to him. Mallory was upset to see the way he trembled, the way he covered his eyes with his hand. What happened in the cavalry battle had really gotten to him, so she was in place to try to sway his mind one way or the other. She neither protested nor supported his decision - although, she did blush and turn away herself when he asked why she was in a cheerleading uniform.

To further everyone's astonishment, the boy from Class 1-B that had also been on Hitoshi's team withdrew. Mallory remained quiet and observant as Midnight accepted their resignations from the final round of the tournament. She had nothing left to really say or feel about the situation, and was indifferent to the fifth place team giving up their newfound places to Team Tetsutetsu.

Her attention had swiveled to the scoreboard once the bracket had been decided. A lot of her classmates were going to fight each other, so she was just wondering if it were appropriate to cheer on one over the other when Mashirao and Izuku interrupted her ruminations, sporting stern and puzzled expressions respectively.

"Sorry, Tinker, but do you think you could come with us?" Mashirao asked. "I wanted to hear from you about the cavalry battle...about your experience with Shinso. I think it'll be important for Midoriya's match against him. Though, if you'd rather stay out here and cheer…."

She shook her head. Truthfully, she _hated _being in the uniform, and wanted to take any excuse to get away from the thousands of eyes on her. "No, it's fine. I'll come with you."

Izuku's gaze passed between them, clearly confused, but nevertheless the three of them headed back inside, sitting down in the waiting room where they had started.

"I'm pretty sure his Quirk allows him to control people." Mashirao was abrupt, voice low and commanding attention. He looked down at the table, seeming to try and wrack his brain for information. Mallory nodded in affirmation; it was the most logical conclusion, based on what she could recall of her encounter with him.

Izuku noticeably paled and slumped in his seat. "But, isn't that too strong to beat?" he protested weakly.

Mashirao's expression grew even tighter. "Yeah, but you can probably avoid it if you know about it. I don't remember much after I answered his question. I take that it was the same for you, Tinker?"

She hummed thoughtfully. While the details seemed hazy, she did recall how it started. "Yeah, I'm sure he asked me a question and I replied, but I don't remember what exactly it was. After that, it's really hazy. I only know what happened because my teammates told me; I had been about to give him my headband."

Izuku pressed his fingers together, crestfallen. "So if I speak carelessly, I'll lose."

Mashirao folded his arms. "Not necessarily, no. I think there's a way to snap out of it. I still remember the events towards the end of the match. As we were running away from Tetsutetsu's team, I bumped into one of his teammates. That's when I snapped out of it. My memory is clear from that point on."

Mallory straightened, coming to a realization of her own. "Yes, that's right! When Pony pulled me back and released the sulfur gas, I was lucid again. Maybe it was just her touch or the overstimulation from the gas, but it could have been both, too."

"So we can confirm with a good amount of confidence that those are the parameters of his Quirk," Mashirao concluded.

Izuku looked between them. "So, some kind of shock can wake you up from his Quirk?"

"That seems most likely, yes," Mashirao replied. "That said, I don't know how much of a shock you need. I don't remember the gas at all, so maybe it's more physical?"

"But if that's the case, then you won't have any outside forces to help you if you fall under his control, Midoriya-kun."

"Tinker, is there anything else you can think of?"

She shook her head and Mashirao stood, so she followed suit. "Well, I guess that's about all we know, then."

Izuku jumped up. "Thank you, both of you! This will be a huge help!"

Mallory smiled, happy she could be of assistance to her classmate. She liked Izuku's enthusiasm, and she was still unsure what he thought of her, but she sincerely hoped they could be friends now, if they weren't already before.

However, Mashirao wasn't done yet. Holding up his fist, he muttered, "I'm going to say something selfish, but...please do your best for me, too, Midoriya."

Izuku nodded, grinning with determination, and they bumped fists.

In the spur of the moment, Mallory gathered the pom-poms in her hands and lightly shook them, even offering a small hop. "You'll do great, Midoriya-kun! I'll be cheering you on!"

Both boys stared at her, and she thought she may have seen each of them turn a shade or two darker. Blood rushed to her own face as well.

"Uh...sorry. Was that weird?" she whimpered.

They both shook their heads rather aggressively, to her relief, and the three went their separate ways.

By the time Mallory changed back into the U.A. tracksuit, the recreational games were near their end. She didn't really mind missing out since she had the chance to help Izuku; she'd have a chance in the next two years, after all. She opted to climb up to the designated student seating area and patiently wait for the start of the finals.

Mashirao was already there, and she amicably sat beside him. It took several minutes for the remainder of the class to trickle in while Cementoss assembled the stage, but the pleasant chatter abruptly ceased as Present Mic declared that the first round of the tournament was about to begin.

Izuku and Hitoshi entered from opposite corners. They were so tiny from her position. She held her breath in anticipation as they stopped, facing each other. For a moment, there was nothing but the cheers of the crowd, but then Izuku took several steps forward before abruptly stopping.

A ripple of confusion passed through the masses. Why wasn't he moving? Then...he turned around and started walking away.

Both Mashirao and Mallory leapt to their feet in horror. "No way...did he talk to him?" Mallory gasped.

"After we took the effort to warn him!" Mashirao groaned in dismay, holding his head.

"Where's he going? What's he doing?" Present Mic cried, mirroring the reactions of the spectators.

Quietly as though bored, Mr. Aizawa came over the loudspeaker and explained Hitoshi's Quirk. It seemed Mallory and Mashirao were right: he had the ability to Brainwash people. It was incredible, a truly amazing Quirk worthy of a hero in Mallory's opinion - but, wait, that wasn't the important part! Izuku was going to lose!

Mallory held her breath until her lungs threatened to collapse. Izuku's steps were slow but steady, and just as she was about to give up all hope that he'd win, a blast of wind shook the rafters and stirred her hair, even from her position so high above him she couldn't make out his face.

His steps stopped abruptly, just shy of the boundary line. He turned around and marched right back to Hitoshi, to Mallory's amazement and delight, and she leapt for joy as he successfully pushed and threw Hitoshi over the boundary line, winning the match.

"How anticlimactic!" Present Mic roared. "Seriously, wasn't that too fast? But even so, the winner of round one of the tournament is Midoriya Izuku!"

**A/N: So this chapter was hard to write just due to how incredibly slow this area of events feels because it's so Izuku-focused. I am considering completely skipping some parts of the story to get to my original storyline that I have in mind, such as the final exams and skipping the first part of the camping trip and going straight into the attack from the League of Villains. **

**However, I really, REALLY want input on that. Frankly, the story is starting to feel like a bit of a slog to me, and there's just so much canon material to go through first before I am able to write what I want. The chapters are taking longer because I have little motivation for them, and I'm just itching to hit more vital plot points that affect the whole class (and therefore Mallory) rather than just Izuku. What do you think? PLEASE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!**

**THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE, AND THANK YOU FOR READING!**


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